


Scooby Doo: Monster Menagerie

by Kettleworth



Category: Scooby Doo - All Media Types, Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (1988)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2019-08-25 00:24:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 84,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16650754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kettleworth/pseuds/Kettleworth
Summary: After a supposed monster attack, Mystery Inc. searches for answers. To help, they look to the assistance of old friends and new acquaintances. (I do not own the rights to Scooby Doo.)





	1. To Shaggy

**Scooby Doo: Monster Menagerie**

**Chapter 1: To Shaggy**

Rain poured down from the skies above, landing on everything that it could sense. Very few people remained out and about, and those that were unfortunate to have to remain in it would hurry along, eager for some dry refuge. It had been pouring for most of the day, and showed no signs of letting up. That is, if the local weatherman was correct in his assumptions. Regardless of the fact, most of the local citizens of the city remained inside.

Shaggy Rogers was no different. The tall, lanky man decided to remain in his apartment, enjoying another day off. It had been quite awhile since he and his dog, Scooby Doo, had went along with his friends to go and solve yet another local mystery. It's not that he had planned on it, though, as he certainly didn't ask for it. The rest of the gang were doing their own thing for the time being, since they hadn't been able to find any work as of late. Well, "work" would be putting it a bit too broadly. It's not like they were ever hired or payed to do these kinds of jobs. It was always their type of interest, however, and so they would always go and check out whatever mystery needed to be solved. For the past three days, however, neither Fred nor Velma hadn't been able to find any sort of new stories or local legends to explore. No mysteries meant some time off. Not that Shaggy minded, of course. Time away from being scared out of his wits was something he felt like he could have used.

Despite having time to himself, his apartment remained, for the most part, unkempt. Dirty laundry laid out on the floor and the furniture, as well as discarded fast food bags, pizza boxes, soda cans, and other various food related garbage. Shaggy, naturally, was in the kitchen, his Great Dane right beside of him. Numerous jars, packages, and used knives were spread out all over the kitchen counter, most of which were open. The man was making quite the sizable sandwich, at least one foot tall. Scooby watched with his head perched on the counter, eyeing the sandwich with hungry eyes. The lanky man peered down at his dog for a second, seeing him lick at his slobbery chops.

"Like, almost done, Scoob," He told the dog, reaching down to pat at his head before going back to the task at hand. Shaggy pushed down the top piece of bread, smushing the sandwich downwards a bit before letting it go. He then reached for a fresh knife, using it to cut the massive meal in two. "There we go! Like, one club sandwich with extra everything," He replied, moving one half of the sandwich to the ground, where Scooby waited, licking his chops.

"Mmh-mm! Dericious," The dog seemed to reply to his owner. In an instant, Scooby seemed to lunge at the sandwich, gripping it with both front paws and taking large hungry bites out of it.

Shaggy laughed and nodded. "You said it, Scoob," He answered, moving his hands around his own oversized share, opening his mouth widely and taking a large hunk of the sandwich into his mouth, chewing rather loudly. Shaggy managed to swallow the entire portion and went to bite into it again. As he did, however, a familiar tone played faintly into the kitchen, which perked his attention. He recognized it as his ringtone, although he realized his phone was not in his pocket. It was in the living room. Buried underneath loads of trash. "Aw man..! Like, remind me to clean this place up after lunch, Scoob," Shaggy said, quickly walking to the living room, quickly shifting his large sandwich into one hand. Scooby paid no mind, loudly and quickly eating away at his own food.

While the phone played away the ringtone, Shaggy quickly brushed off piles of bags and boxes, which ruffled and clattered against the ground as they fell. After a few short seconds, Shaggy's phone was visible, the screen lit up with a familiar blonde haired man. After quickly wiping the screen off of any leftover crumbs, Shaggy pushed the button and held the phone up to his ear. "Hey Freddie, like, what's up?" He asked, moving himself on the couch, leaning back on it as his feet rested on the table in a reclined position.

"Shaggy, hey!" The enthusiastic man began. "Listen, I know it's been a few days of us doing nothing, but I just talked with Velma, and I think we have a mystery on our hands!" Freddie continued, who sounded quite glad to finally be doing something. His enthusiasm didn't surprise Shaggy, since Freddie definitely wasn't the type to sit around doing nothing.

Shaggy took another big bite of his sandwich as he listened, talking in between chews. "Like, sounds great, Fred," Shaggy said, not sounding as eager as Freddie clearly was. After all, he was enjoying his time doing nothing, and wasn't quite ready to be put back into a position of being chased around by some creep in a mask. Regardless, he kept the conversation up, still curious as to what he found. "What's the scoop?" He asked his friend.

"Check this out. It turns out that more and more people as of late have had sightings of monsters," Freddie explained, to which Shaggy replied by gulping. Both out of swallowing his sandwich, but also out of minor fear. Despite this, however, Shaggy had heard about these sightings on the local news.

"Like, why do you think I haven't left my apartment lately?" Shaggy replied, laughing nervously as he took another hunk off of his sandwich.

"Not only that," Freddie said, continuing over Shaggy's remark. "But as it turns out, one of the towns where these sightings were occurring just put out a news story about a recent attack, with the locals citing these monsters as the offenders!" The man said, not losing his sense of eagerness.

Upon hearing this, Shaggy was less than thrilled, his hand loosening up, almost letting his sandwich slip away. "Z-zoinks! L-like, you don't want us to go down there and, like, check that out?!" He remarked, his voice shifting a couple of pitches up.

Freddie didn't seem deterred by Shaggy's fear, instead answering him. "Well of course, Shaggy! There's a real mystery here. I was thinking that all of us were going to head out tomorrow to Louisiana and see what's going on," He said. It was clear he had thought this through a little, but Shaggy still wasn't willing to head down South.

"Like, if it turns out we have to deal with more zombies, I'm hightailing it out of there!" He replied, almost yelping.

"Shaggy, relax! It's not in the same area, and the place is well known for being filled with supernatural activity. We'll find whatever monster is out there quicker than you can eat an entire bowl of Cajun gumbo," Freddie said, joking a little bit. Even though Shaggy still held his half-eaten sandwich in his hand, his stomach seemed to reply eagerly to the thought of home-style Cajun cooking.

"Well... okay," Shaggy finally replied, taking another bite. "But if we better not get in the middle of, like, any weird voodoo mumbo jumbo stuff, man!" He remarked.

"Awesome! I'll go call Daphne and tell her the plan. See you tomorrow, Shaggy!" Freddie said, ending his call soon after.

"Like, talk to you later," Shaggy sighed, setting his phone back down on the table. "Aw man, this is gonna suck," He said, rubbing his head with his hand. Soon, Scooby walked into the living room, looking at Shaggy.

"Ruh rappened?" The dog asked, tilting his head.

The man looked to Scooby and answered, "Like, Freddie found us a mystery down in Louisiana again, and we're heading out tomorrow."

"Oooh, rummy!" Scooby replied, licking his chops hungrily.

To this, Shaggy laughed and pat at his head. "Like, I share your taste in cuisine, buddy, but he wants us to go exploring about a m-m-monster attack!" He finished, gulping.

"Rikes! Ruh-uh!" Scooby said, shaking his head in disapproval, moving closer to Shaggy for support and comfort. He reciprocated by rubbing and patting his dog soothingly.

"I feel ya, Scoob. Like, It's not going to be fun whatso-" Shaggy was soon cut off as the mail slot clattered and letters fell to the floor. The two looked over at the door as they heard the noise. "Like, I guess the mail's here."

"Ri'll get it!" Scooby replied, walking off to the front door, leaning his head down to observe the small pile of mail. He gripped the pile gently in his mouth before trotting back to Shaggy, dropping it onto the table. The mail scattered a bit, giving the two a better look at what was delivered. From the looks of it, their mail for the day consisted of nothing but solicitations, coupons, and offers for magazines. Junk mail.

"Hm... like, more trash for the pile, it seems, Scoob," Shaggy said, starting to gather up the mail. The corner of a hidden envelope caught the dogs attention, however.

"Rhaggy! A retter!" The dog barked, pointing towards the white corner. Well, more like a dark yellow corner, the paper looking quite old. Shaggy raised an eyebrow and shuffled the junk away, revealing the envelope. It was indeed ancient looking, yet the fancy writing looked quite fresh. Shaggy saw that his name was written on the front, and he quickly opened it.

"Zoinks, check this out, Scoob! Like, it looks like it's written on thousand year old paper," He said, laughing a bit as he unfolded the paper inside. The letter, too, looked about as old as it's envelope. "Like, it looks very official," He stated, looking it over some before he began to read the letter aloud.

_Dear Mr. Rogers,_

_I do hope you and Scooby Doo are well. It has been awhile since we last saw each other, after you ran off so suddenly, I believe five years or so? I can not say I was surprised, although I do wish you would have stayed longer._

_At any rate, I am writing to you to offer your position again. After you left, we had to go through a couple of changes to accommodate for your disappearance. Predictably, it did not go to the girls' liking._

_Because of this, I am writing to you, Mr. Rogers, asking if you would be so kind as to return as the Coach of the school. The girls would appreciate it quite a lot. If you choose to accept my offer, please stop by the school. I doubt that you have forgotten where we're located. If you wish to consider this, please do act as quickly as possible. I do not like to be kept waiting to long._

_Expecting you soon,_

_Ms Grimwood_

While reading this, both Shaggy and Scooby's eyes widened, realizing who this letter was from without having to even check the bottom. Once he finished reading, the two met their eyes. "Zoinks! Like, that was from Ms Grimwood! She wants us to come back to that school of her's!" He exclaimed.

Scooby, as before, shook his head. "Ruh-uh! Ro more ronsters!" He replied, shaking a bit.

"Yeah, like, we got our fill of that place within the span of two months!" He said, laughing nervously and setting the letter down. "...it wasn't, like, too bad, though," Shaggy pondered, stroking his chin a bit.

Scooby tilted his head a bit. "Ruh?" He said, making a confused noise.

"Like, that bog was no fun trip for sure! The girls were nice, though, even if their fathers were big and spooky," He continued.

Scooby nodded at that. "Ruh-huh! Rig and rooky!"

"Like, I dunno, Scoob," Shaggy sighed, eyeing the letter again. "Seems like the monsters are coming to us as of late, huh?"

"Ryeah, rig rime."

* * *

Velma studied her books carefully, letting the tv play in the background somewhat quietly. Numerous books that were opened often had to do with various monsters from different parts of the US. Of course, she had read these entries hundreds of times, studying these monsters and where they were located. At this point, she had encountered almost every single one of them, and more often than not, they were just some shmuck disguised as that monster.

Velma sighed and rubbed her eyes under her glasses, getting a bit tired from her constant reading. Ever since she had heard about the recent monster sightings, she began reading restlessly about various monsters and other otherworldly creatures. She rested her chin in her hand, slowly looking up at the tv, hoping something interesting would show. She couldn't stand reality shows, and any science channels she had were only airing reruns. For the most part, she kept the channel on the local news, hoping some sort of story would turn up that would get her out of her room for awhile.

She dozed off a bit, already growing bored of what she was watching. The audio drifted off in her mind as she slowly fell asleep...

"...police in the town have stated that it was a local alligator attack, but locals say that it was because of a monster," The anchorman reported, looking at the screen. Velma jolted awake, her eyes shooting open at the mention of a monster. "Pictures of the crime scene are too gruesome to show here, but the police of the town have told the people to remain calm, telling them to keep an eye out for any loose gators in the street."

The girl fixed her glasses as she stared intently at the screen, before poring over her  _Monsters By State_ book for the 1000th time. Once she stopped on "Louisiana", she began to read. As soon as she did, her cell phone began to buzz next to her. Without so much as looking up, she reached beside of her and answered, not checking to see who it was. After all, she had a hunch. "Hello?" She answered.

"Velma, you won't believe this!" Freddie answered giddily.

"Is this about the monster attack?" She answered rigidly, pushing the phone onto her shoulder, holding it with her face.

"Yeah! The news says all the locals think it was a monster attack. If enough people seem to think that, it has to be more than a coincidence!" He continued.

Velma nodded to herself as she kept talking. "Definitely so, but we'd still have to investigate. If all the townspeople are describing different types of monsters, it would be hard to pinpoint it as a monster attack," The girl replied, thinking reasonably.

"Oh trust me, we're definitely investigating. After a few days with no activity, I was getting bored! I'll meet up with you and the gang tomorrow," Freddie said excitedly.

"Sounds fine with me. I'll see you tomorrow," Velma stated before hanging up.

"Later, Velma!" Freddie replied, ending his call as well. Velma moved her phone back to where it was previously and kept reading, preparing herself for what she might see this time.

* * *

"Jeez, he's in real bad shape..." One of the officers said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Not like a gator to up 'n attack someone like that," Another officer replied, looking over the body with his partner. The body that laid there was missing chunks of flesh from it's body, blood soaking through it's clothing. Even though it's face was obscured slightly, it was somewhat visible to see that whoever was attacked was now missing their face.

"Hear da folks talkin' bout th' monsters?"

"Yea. I know dis place is haunted 'n all, but-"

A hollow laugh made the two officers stop talking, freezing some what and shivering gently. They had almost forgotten about the detective, who had been examining everywhere silently. He was now standing right behind the two officers, a hand on each shoulder.

"I got news for you, gentlemen," The detective began, grinning in a wicked manner. "No gator could've done that."


	2. Detective Freak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang tries to get answers from a local police department when they come across a very strange man. (I do not own the rights to Scooby Doo.)

**Scooby-Doo: Monster Menagerie**

**Chapter 2: Detective Freak**

The bog was filled with a loud silence. Almost nothing was stirring, and even the gentle breeze of the wind made no sound to the environment around it. Very little light was able to push through the dark, overcast of clouds above. One could only assume that it wouldn't be very long before the sky allowed the clouds to release the rain inside. Not that there was anything that could benefit from the rain, as pretty much all of the surrounding vegetation had long since been dead. Fungal life seemed to thrive, but even then it was quite scarce, growing in between the bacteria ridden bog and nutrient deficient soil. Any animal life that dared to try to live in the bog was soon sucked into the quicksand, their reactions too slow to save their own lives.

In the distance, but not too far away, a stone fence surrounded a large, yet old, mansion. The metal gate remained shut, rusted from being out in the rain for many years. The fence itself was in danger of falling apart, eroded and cracked in numerous areas. Strangely, however, it did not seem to budge after years of use. A shingle of wood was nailed to the fence, the words hand painted on. As for the mansion, it was surrounded by a moat, filled with rather murky water. The contents of the moat were hidden, although for most, it was probably better that way. The drawbridge remained down, held together by massive chains, which were also rusted.

A somewhat stout woman stood on the drawbridge, clad in a simple salmon pink dress, with dark red heels. She also wore a sort of collar, which was also a dark red, little skull broaches adorning either side on her shoulders. She kept a red headband on, as if to keep her messy black hair away from her face. Her face seemed a bit worn, due to age, but she managed to hold a small, yet genuine, grin.

After a while, the woman finally broke the stiff silence, closing her eyes and breathing in a deep inhale. She held it for a few seconds before exhaling, sighing peacefully.

"Such a pleasant day. I do hope that the days to come will be like this," She hummed to herself. "With any luck, I'll be able to have our old coach back before the girls return for the year. It would be quite lovely to give them a surprise."

She turned inside towards the mansion, as if shifting her attention to an unseen entity. "Come, Matches. I suggest you come out here, too. The air will do you some good."

Soon, a grumbling, green... creature, hobbled from the foyer and outside, moving somewhat slowly. It was the size of a komodo dragon, yet took on the former term more literally. Webbed front feet, clawed back feet, an arrow shaped tail, horns, and scruffy dark green hair formed over it's head like moss. It was no doubt a mythical creature, and one that did not like having it's sleep disturbed. Despite having been cooped up most of the time, the large scaled creature didn't seem to mind it's alone time.

Once it managed it's way next to the woman's side, it immediately plopped right next to her feet, mumbling to itself and curling up, wishing to continue it's slumber. She looked down at him, shaking her head in amusement.

"Oh, you lazy dragon," The woman chuckled to herself, staring out into the bog once more. Her face seemed to sullen, just a little. Her smile remained, even if thoughts began to form in her mind. She began to speak aloud once more.

"...it's strange to say, but with how still and peaceful things have been, it almost feels like... the eye of the storm. As if preparing for something."

The dragon gave a snort, snoozing obliviously. The woman's expression livened up once more, as if mentally brushing her previous intrusions away.

"If he considers my offer, it will become much easier to stay alert, I believe. A helping hand is always needed, no matter what." With that, the woman turned to walk back inside her mansion, tilting her head back at her strange pet as she did. "Matches, don't forget to shut the door once you wake up."

A derisive snort from the sleeping dragon gave the woman the affirmation she needed and continued inside, ready to prepare her mansion for her incoming students, and hopefully, her returning teacher.

* * *

"Hey Shag, you awake back there?"

The sudden voice of Freddie seemed to snap Shaggy out of his own thoughts, having been lost in them for most of the trip. "Oh! Uh, like, sorry, Freddie. Guess I dozed off a little," He answered, adding a bit of a laugh. He wasn't being too truthful, naturally, but it didn't seem like his friends notice. Scooby seemed to be asleep, however, snoring quite a bit as the Mystery Machine continued on it's track to Louisiana.

The usual seating arrangements were present, with Freddie driving, Daphne sitting to his right, and Velma sitting to  _her_  right. Shaggy and Scooby remained in the back, sitting among everyone's bags. Once Shaggy acknowledged Fred's question, he continued on.

"Don't mean to bother you too much, but didn't you tell us that you used to teach around here for a little?"

A little stone of guilt dropped in his seemingly never-ending stomach, although the silence was filled with Velma's voice. "That's right! I remember when you actually managed to graduate with a degree in teaching. We were all so proud of you."

"Not as proud as you, Velma," Daphne joked, looking over at her with a grin. Velma returned the smile, her cheeks flushed some. It was true that among all of them, she was the most eager that Shaggy was seeing his education through, even if his subject of choice wasn't what any of them expected to be. In hindsight, however, it did make sense that the member of their group who spent the most time running would turn out to get his teaching degree in physical education.

Shaggy found himself rubbing the back of his head, smiling in a bashful manner as he laughed gently. "Y-yeah, like, I couldn't believe I managed to do that, either!"

"It's quite an accomplishment, Shaggy," Velma continued, turning her head back towards him. "It was a little... unusual how quickly you went to find a teaching job, though."

Shaggy shrugged at this. "Like, I guess I was eager to put my degree to good use, y'know?"

"The thing is, though, there really isn't a whole lot of choices around here, education wise," Daphne said, observing the surroundings.

"Uh, like, it was a private school, of sorts," Answered Shaggy. He wasn't being untruthful for sure, looking to find a way to slowly introduce his friends to the school of ghouls. Before they began to ask any questions, however, his cowardice got the best of him and allowed him to keep talking, as if trying to divert the attention away from what he just said. "Like, it didn't last too long though. We left about after a month or two."

The rest of the gang raised their eyebrows, looking to one another. Velma spoke up after a bit of silence. "...Shaggy, you were gone for  _five_  months."

Once again, he gulped and laughed nervously. "O-o-oh yeah! Haha..! After we left, like, Scooby, Scrappy, and I started to uh... well..." He paused for a second, realizing that what he was about to say would probably be more absurd than him teaching. "...well, race."

What followed was a reaction that he somewhat expected: laughter. Not so much as making fun of him, but more so in disbelief. "What like, cars?" Daphne asked, trying to hide a grin with her hand.

"Yeah..! We were, like, pretty doggone good at it, too!" He answered, somewhat pridefully. "Like, I even got together with a girl because of it."

Freddie turned his head so that his vision was at the mirror, getting a glance at Shaggy, so he could see his reflection. After all, taking one's eyes off the road was very dangerous. "Woah, Shag, you dog! How come you haven't told us about her? Was she cute?"

Daphne responded by elbowing Fred in the ribs, hard enough to not actually injure, but making sure he got the message. As he grunted and used a free hand to rub where she hit him, Shaggy replied by laughing, waving his hand somewhat dismissively. "Like, it didn't last too long. By the time I decided to come back to you guys, she had already moved on," He answered, relaxing in his seat some. At this point, Scooby was starting to wake up, his eyelids fluttering open and letting out a loud yawn.

"Hey gang, I don't mean to interrupt, but we're here," Freddie informed.

The clouds above were overcast, making the air around them rather humid, threatening the whole town with rain. At this point in their trip, they were slowly cruising into the town of the attack. At one point, they even drove past the crime scene, which was cut off with police tape. A couple of locals seemed to linger around, although the police didn't seem to be paying much mind. When the brightly colored van passed them by, however, it did grab their attention, watching it drive by slowly, eyeing it for a little. The van was familiar to them, and it didn't make them happy that a certain group of meddling kids and their dog was going to start imposing on their investigation.

The young adults paid no mind to their accusatory glares, Freddie merely giving a friendly wave and a smile at them before turning his attention to the road. "I think the first place we oughta stop is the local police station," He said, turning down onto a different street. They kept receiving unreadable stares from locals, a few of them pointing the large van out to friends.

"Maybe the locals could help us out with that, too?" Daphne asked. "After all, they were the ones who thought the whole situation involved a monster."

"I'd say we do both," Velma requested. "I can see the police station up ahead, so let's stop by there first."

A grumble of two bellies got the attention of everyone. Predictably, Shaggy said, "Like, after that how about a quick lunch? All this talk of monsters works up an appetite."

"Ryeah!" Scooby agreed, giggling a bit.

The town itself wasn't too needlessly complex, nor was it simple. It was, simply put, a town. A larger than normal town, held together by the community, who seemed to be rather tightly knit. Buildings looked somewhat old fashioned, yet they were clean and nicely repaired to appear somewhat modern as well. A view inside any of these buildings would show that despite the old fashioned exterior, the inside managed to keep up with the times, fitting the needs of what people needed nowadays. Wi-fi, internet, phone service, and everything similar.

The Mystery Machine slowed to a halt in the parking lot of the police station. Fred parked the car and opened the door to his side. Soon, the rest of Mystery Inc. joined him, starting to head into the station. The building itself was fashioned out of nicely carved stone, bronze statues of simple orbs resting on stone pillars in the front. In a golden font on the front read simply " **Southern Louisiana** **Police Station.** "

With a shrug shared between all of them, they walked inside. Once inside, they looked around some. There were a couple of wooden and metal benches, where two cops seemed to be talking to each other on. At the reception desk, another officer appeared to be talking to the secretary, who was an older woman wearing glasses. The officers seemed to wear similar attire of a beige button up, with badges on the front, as well as black pants and boots. A phone and a holster remained around their waist.

As soon as the group walked in, the eyes of the four people fell onto them. Naturally, they were all familiar with who they were, but the only one to seem to greet them was the man talking to the receptionist. "Ah, hello there, y'all. Name's Deputy Marshall. What might I help y'all with?" He began, walking towards the group.

They walked closer to the deputy as Freddie straightened his ascot a bit. "Hey, Deputy. Uh, name's Freddie, and this is Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby," He greeted, pointing to each member as he called them out. Each one gave a little wave, including the dog. The deputy nodded at them.

"I thought I recognized y'all. Quite infamous, y'know," He continued on casually. "Gotta say, not a fan of y'all givin' us a bit of a bad name. What, with y'all solvin' the mysteries and makin' us officers look... useless."

"Oh..! But we're not trying to do that at all," Daphne interjected, which made the deputy turn his attention towards her, snorting a bit.

"That so? Then why're y'all here? Heard about the attack, no doubt."

"Well, yes, but-" Velma began.

"Don't go stickin' your nose into it. We've investigated it and determined it was nothin' more than a wild animal," He said, face reddening a bit in anger. He sighed, looking away suddenly, as if to calm down. "...please, just, don't go makin' our jobs harder by stickin' around here for too long."

They all felt somewhat disappointed, especially Fred. "Ah, we see," He started. In an instant, he seemed to lighten up, thinking of a new question. "Well, since we're here, why not go visit that school you used to teach at, Shaggy?"

Shaggy jumped at the question, laughing a bit. "W-what? Now? Without lunch first?" The deputy raised an eyebrow, now looking at the tall man.

"Teacher? You don't seem like the kind to teach," He asked, narrowing his eyebrows and scanning him over. His eyes traced over his pockets for awhile as well before looking back up at the man. "Whatcha teach?"

Scooby barked an answer up at him. "Rysical Reduration!"

The man looked at the dog blankly before he went back at Shaggy. "...what did he say?"

"Like, uh, p-physical education," Shaggy stammered a bit, somewhat intimidated by the officer. With that answer, the deputy crossed his arms, giving a smarmy look.

"Really. Where at?" At this question, Velma responded, crossing her own arms. She put a sharp tone to her voice as she did.

"It just so  _happens_ that it was the local private school!"

"Y'mean the one out in the bog?"

"Which one?" Came a new voice from behind the group. The voice was a sudden, deep, almost gravelly voice. While it sent shivers down Mystery Inc.'s spine, the officer seemed to freeze. His smug grin was replaced with a grimace, his eyes widening a bit.

Without looking away from the group, the officer merely gave a small nod. "Afternoon, detective," He responded simply. The gang noticed that the two cops that were on the bench were now suddenly hurrying towards a door, quickly walking through it further into the building. As for the receptionist, she was suddenly very intrigued with whatever was on her computer screen. The rest of them turned around to see the detective that seemed to freak the others out.

At first glance, he didn't look like a detective. More like the person you'd see being detained  _by_  one. He leaned against the door frame casually, hands in the pockets of his dark purple hoodie. Yes, a hoodie. The rest of his attire was just as casual, and certainly not fitting someone with a job like a detective. Basic blue jeans and sneakers were also worn, and the man's hair was utterly wild. Long and brown, yet very unkempt, almost covering his eyes.

That was probably the most chilling thing about him: his eyes. They were wide open, shadowed by his hair somewhat. The rest of his face wasn't much more welcoming. His skin was pale and gaunt, showing off his cheekbones. His facial hair was very scruffy and wild, not unlike his hair. He bared a grin that was as wide and unhinged as his eyes were. It was equally as discomforting when he started walking towards the group.

Well, limping would've been a more apt description. His left foot fell behind a little, giving him an uneven gait. He also could have stood about as tall as Shaggy if he stood up straight. Instead, he was hunched over a little bit. His expression never changed as he walked. This caused everyone to back up, albeit a bit unintentionally.

"Aw, come on, Deputy, don't leave them in the dark like that. You and I both know that there are two schools out there," He spoke, grinning even wider, if that was even possible. The deputy cleared his throat nervously, slowly turning to the creepy detective.

"L-listen, detective, you know you shouldn't spread those rumors..!"

The detective only shook his head, chuckling a little. Without so much as blinking, he lifted his hand up suddenly and pointed a finger at Shaggy. The speed of this caused him to yelp and jump. The detective paid no mind and merely continued. "Please do tell me. Was it Calloway's?" The name was certainly familiar to Shaggy, as he gulped.

Knowing it was no use lying to such a weird man, he shook his head. "N-n-n-no..?" He shivered, feeling Scoob hide behind him, covering his eyes.

The answer seemed to satisfy the detective, curling his finger back into his scarred fist and pushing it into his hoodie. His grin turned into a wide, even scarier, smile, looking back at the deputy. "It seems we're not the only ones who knows anymore, Deputy."

The deputy was turning red again, but didn't seem to dare talk back to him. The man merely started to limp past him, not turning his attention away from Shaggy or his friends. "I know why you're here, and it's the same reason why I've been so busy," He continued, giggling to himself. "If you're interested, follow me to my office." With that, he turned his head and walked past the receptionist, into the office space. She gave a noticeable shiver, trying her best to not look at him.

After a bit of awkward silence, Velma cleared her throat. "Who was that..?"

The deputy gulped and turned back, already looking worse for wear. "That... was our homicide detective. He just showed up one day, requesting a job. After looking over his credentials, he was the only one who was fit to manage his position. He's amazingly accurate and incredibly intelligent." The deputy leaned in, lowering his voice. "He's also absolutely batshit insane," He murmured.

"Why was he walking like that?" Daphne began.

"And what was wrong with his hand?" Fred continued.

"And l-l-like, why does he look so t-t-terrifying!?" Shaggy gulped.

The deputy looked between them all and sighed. "He thinks of himself as a... monster hunter of sorts. Got himself into lots of situations, wherein he tried to chase after a local legend, or somethin' stupid. Never wanted to harm whatever he was after, though." He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Those injuries are probably due to him pissin' off some animal he thought was a monster. He spends so much time 'researchin' them, though, that it's made him lose track of reality." The deputy rubbed his neck a little, looking thoughtful. "...course, I don't think he ever had a good grasp on it in the first place."

Everyone was silent for a little, taking in what was said. To break the stiffness of the air, Fred spoke up. "...we're going to talk to him."

"We  _are_?!" The group responded together.

Freddie merely nodded. "If anyone else has a tip on what's going on around here, he does. Even if we have to endure his... personality, we're going to get answers out of him!" With that, he began to walk towards the offices. The group looked to each other before following, Shaggy and Scooby keeping a good distance in the back.

The deputy began to say something, but his stammers caused them to ignore him. He merely stood there, defeated. "Dah... damn meddlin' kids."

The offices currently, were somewhat empty. Any surrounding workers that were there looked quite unnerved. It didn't take long for Fred to find the only closed off office around. The blinds were closed, making sure no one would go peeking inside. Not that anyone would want to. The name card on the door was scratched out, making the detective's name impossible to read. In place, scrawled below it in red marker read something else.

 _"Det._ _ **FREAK**_ "

Despite the fact he was starting to get cold feet about this whole situation, he tapped his fist against the door a couple of times. Almost immediately after the first knock, the voice of the detective hissed out, muffled a little by the door.

"Hurry up and come inside."

Freddie opened the door and made his way inside, they all huddled into the office, looking around some. Scooby quickly shut the door behind him, his paws incredibly shaky, due to nervousness. The office was small, but very cramped. Mostly due to the fact that there was lots of pictures pinned everywhere, two whiteboards with lots of information scribbled on them, and on the desk, a large book laid on a recreation of the crime scene.

The detective did not look up immediately, instead mumbling incoherently to himself. After a few seconds, his eyes shot upwards, looking at the group, his eyes scanning them all rapidly.

"So...what did you want to know?"

* * *

_..._

_I can sense doubt._

_Hidden away in your mind, but there nonetheless._

_The seed of all fear._

_Waiting to sprout up in your subconscious mind._

_Like an unwelcome weed._

_..._

_But this is not new for you, is it?_

_No._

_No no no no._

_Certainly not._

_Previous years, it's been lingering patiently._

_Festering like a rotten maggot infested apple._

_Despite this_

_You stay nonchalant._

_Hiding it._

_Making sure you protect those you care about._

_Making sure you don't spread the seed._

_..._

_The school year is about ready to begin, Miss Grimwood._

_You better be prepared._


	3. Ghouls, Grimwood, and Googie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting a bit of information, the gang asks around the town for information, when they come across an old companion of Shaggy's. Meanwhile, the first student arrives at Grimwood's.

**Scooby-Doo: Monster Menagerie**

**Chapter 3: Ghouls, Grimwood, and Googie**

The way in which the office was adorned was a lot like the person it belonged to: strange, scattered, and somewhat terrifying. The wall that stood behind the detective had two maps: one of the entire united states, and one that was a close up of Louisiana specifically. On both maps, there were numerous crosses, arrows, and other similar types of symbols, pointing to specific regions on both maps. There was also writing on them, but due to the fact that so much of it was written in an almost illegible script, it was next to impossible to make it out. Every other wall was covered in pictures, which also had writing all over them. The pictures were an even mix of various people, as well as different types of monsters and mythological beings. A few times, the faces would be scratched out in black marker, hiding the identity of the person. At least, that's what the gang hoped it was for.

Resting along the gang's left were the two whiteboards. In red marker, lots of information was written about the crime scene. The description of the victim, as well as their injuries, were listed on one side. The rest of the boards had names of different monsters on them, most of them crossed out. The rest had a question mark next to the name. Lines connected each monster to the list of injuries, as if trying to figure out a connection.

To the right wall was an even smaller desk, one that held a simple computer. Since it wasn't in use, the computer remained in rest mode, the screen not giving off any sort of light. A small rolling chair hid away a pile of books, which remained underneath the desk for safe keeping. For some reason, there was also a guitar, resting on the floor, leaning against the computer desk.

As for the table in front of everyone, the detective had placed sheets of paper all over it, trying to do a recreation of the crime scene. The book resting on the table remained open, showing an entry for someone called "The Axeman". Velma recognized the book as the one she had been reading earlier,  _Monsters By State_. The lone light that hung above the office was quite bright, so it at least covered the entire office in it's fluorescence. Despite this, the detective's wide, creepy eyes were shadowed by his hair, barely peering out of his bangs. He looked between every member expectantly, eager for any questions that they had for him.

Instead of any actual questions, however, Fred cleared his throat somewhat nervously. This made the detective's head whip to him, his wide eyes scanning him over thoroughly. The blond then began. "I'm sorry, but uh... I don't think we introduced ourselves yet. I'm-"

"Fred Jones," The detective finished, his grin not wavering in the slightest. "I'm quite aware of all of you guys'... mysteries." He chuckled darkly and stood up, pointing around the room. He stayed hunched over as he did. "Despite the fact that you all have an uncanny attraction to people merely pretending to be creatures, I'm also under the impression that you've all had contact with the real thing." He quickly turned his head, staring at- no,  _into_ Fred. He flinched and gulped, inadvertently looking away.

"Uh..."

"How do  _you_  know that we've met real monsters before?" Asked the voice of Daphne, looking at the detective with a skeptical, if cautious, look. Immediately after she began talking, his head whipped over at her, scanning her over a little too. He merely chuckled and leaned back over the table, not looking away from her.

"You just told me," He answered simply, joking a little. From the look that Daphne gave him, she was clearly not satisfied with his attempt at humor. "Daphne Blake, correct? It seems to me that since y'all have been doing your snooping around for quite a long time, y'all are bound to find something that isn't another human in a latex mask."

In a sudden movement, he lifted his head up, somewhat dramatically. His eyes stayed wide and unhinged, but his grin immediately turned into a concerned frown. This did not make him look any more welcoming. "I've spent most of my whole  _life_  researching monsters. Even when I just began to scratch the surface of everything, it already felt as if my soul had been through more than anything." He grinned wickedly again, his eyes looking between all of them. "...and all of y'all have that same look that I once had. That feeling of curiosity, wanting to learn more and become familiar... and that feeling of terror that comes with it."

Everyone shared a shudder, feeling unnerved by his statements. The scariest part was that he wasn't incorrect. They had come across ghosts, vampires, ghouls, aliens, zombies, and even the occasional demon, as well as anything in between. They were all aware of the fact that if they kept exploring mysteries, there is a really good chance that it won't end in a man being unmasked and taken to jail. It could very well end in injury, world ending revelations, and even  _death_. Disregarding these risks, they kept on, for the sake of closure to anything that comes their way.

The detective stood silently, looking between everybody, waiting for the next question. To break the tense silence, Velma spoke up, being the first to come back to their senses. "...what have  _you_  seen?" She asked. "It seems like your an expert, but have you actually come in contact with anything?" She couldn't help but put in her skeptical tone of voice. While she had no doubt that the detective knew what he was talking about, it didn't hurt to question everything. After all, who knows just how much experience he's actually had? They had no idea if he was lying to them or not, and hopefully a question like this would give them some sort of closure. Or expose the detective for a fraud, whichever came first.

Instead of speaking, this time, the detective stood up once more. He didn't move from his spot, but he quickly moved a hand to the bottom of his hoodie. In a quick movement, he lifted it up, only high enough to show off his stomach. The gang gasped as they took in what he was showing them.

"Z-zoinks!" Shaggy stammered, unable to peer away.

The detective kept grinning as he showed off a massive scar in the shape of a bite mark. It took up almost the entire right side of his body. Seeing everyone's reactions made him give a malicious giggle. "Got that exploring Honey Island. Mean old swamp monster didn't like being disturbed," He explained, talking about it as if it were a new watch.

Velma, despite being taken aback by the massive injury, she still furrowed her brow. The detective noticed this, raising an eyebrow at her, not yet lowering his hoodie. This time, instead of waiting for her to ask, he merely turned around, showing off part of his exposed back. Three large claw marks on either side of his back scratched from the middle all the way to his hips. "Ain't no sharks living in the swamps, Miss Dinkley. Still remains to be my best find yet," He laughed, lowering his hoodie finally.

"L-like, what were you doing out in the middle of the swamp, man? If you, like, knew about it, why didn't you run? It could've killed you!" Shaggy yelped, shaking a little.

"But it didn't." The creepy man turned to Shaggy, his laugh hollow. "I'm lucky it just decided to give me a warning."

"Like, if that's what a warning is, I sure don't wanna know what it's like when it's  _really_  mad!" Shaggy added.

"Ryeah!" Scooby concurred, still hiding behind Shaggy.

The detective leaned over his table a little, shadowing his own face wickedly as he seemed to stare into the cowardly man across from him. "...Shaggy Rogers, I presume?" He asked simply. Shaggy's response was a nod and a bit of a whimper, not saying much else. With another dark laugh, the detective merely shook his head and turned his attention back to the table in front of him. "I say the sooner you go to that school, the sooner you'll discover your answers."

Shaggy gulped as Scooby looked up at him nervously. Daphne and Freddie had taken to glance over at Shaggy while Velma was studying the table as well. She took into account the types of injuries the victim sustained, as well as any other evidence. She noticed that nothing that wasn't supernatural was written on any of the papers laid out.

"Detective," She began, drawing his attention upwards once more, his grin and eyes still wide with anticipation. "If it is something inhuman, do you suppose it's still around?"

His grin once again quickly flashed to a chilling frown, making him look even more menacing. "Let's hope not," He replied simply, staring into her eyes. She flinched visibly, unable to keep herself from looking away.

To help break the tension, Freddie cleared his throat. "Uh... well gang, let's let the detective finish his work."

"Yeah, we can go ask locals about their experiences," Daphne continued, turning to open the door and let them out. Shaggy and Scooby nodded wordlessly and went to hurry out. The detective's grin returned, staring at all of them once more.

"Be careful out there," He told them, putting on a mysterious, yet unreadable, tone of voice.

Once they all left his office, closing the door behind them, they heard him mumbling to himself. With a quick stare, they all hurried their way out of the police station. None of them were sure if they could trust his credibility.

Despite this, they all turned to Shaggy as they walked to their van. "So what do you think, Shaggy? Fancy a visit back to whatever school you went to?" Freddie asked, raising an eyebrow.

He didn't answer right away, rubbing the back of his head as he looked down. On one hand, he knew that the inhabitants of the building would probably freak everyone out. On the other, he still had that note from Miss Grimwood, which implied that she was waiting for him. After some thought, he looked back up and gave a small, timid smile.

"Sure. Like, there's no harm in it, I suppose," He answered. This prompted a smile from everyone else, along with a semi-confused look from Scooby.

"Well that's good to know, then. You can show us the way," Freddie said, moving into the driver's side of the van.

"Yeah, and I'm sure whoever was in charge will be happy to see you again," Daphne said, turning her attention to him as they all got in their seats.

"Like, no doubt! Be prepared though, because like, the school is kinda... well, unorthodox," Shaggy warned.

"Unorthodox? How so?" Velma asked, turning her head back at him as they got in the back of the Mystery Machine.

"Like, let's just say they're a bit... old fashioned."

Velma smiled to herself. "Ooh, that means there's quite a bit of history with it. A perfect place to explore!"

Shaggy nodded, looking away silently. The only noise that came from him was a loud grumbling noise, signaling lunch time. "Like, until then, how about some grub?"

"Ryeah, runch rime!" Scooby barked. Freddie started the Mystery Machine up.

"Sure! There's bound to be someone who can give us some info about recent events. Two birds, one stone, and all that," He said, beginning to drive out of the station. "I believe there was a cafe around here somewhere..."

* * *

 

A low rumble filled the air as dark clouds circled above the land. Despite the threat of a thunderstorm, a lone carriage trotted along an old pathway deeper into the forest. The man leading the horses was covered from head to toe in black garments, face hidden by a wide brimmed hat. As for the horses, it was almost hard to describe them as such. They had an emaciated appearance, their eyes dark and hollow, their whinnies sounding more like ghostly groans. They were not horses, but thestrals. Their long, demon like tails followed behind them with their bat-like wings folded up.

The carriage they pulled was very antique looking, but looked to be kept in very nice shape. The wheels moved evenly without any sort of bumping to be seen, lanterns hanging from above to give a small amount of illumination inside. Overall, it had a very Gothic aesthetic to it.

Inside, two figures sat opposite of each other, numerous suitcases and bags filling in the empty spots of the purple, vinyl seats. One passenger sat closest to the coachman, hands folded in his lap as he stared across from him. His hair was slicked back, yet showing the age of the man by having graceful streaks of gray among the black. His outfit was smart and neat, an elegant black suit with a white frilly shirt. His face was smiling gently, even if his skin gaunt and sickly white.

Across from him sat a young looking woman, most likely in her late teens. Her outfit fit her slim form, being an elegant aubergine colored dress with a slip on the side to show off her legs some, the hem frayed a little. The sleeves were long, yet stopped at around her forearms. The only part of her outfit that didn't match her dress were her heels and a sash around her waist, both of which were a dark red.

Her skin, as opposed to the other, looked youthful, even if it was tinged with lavender. Her hair was also purple, which almost touched her feet. She was staring out of the side of the carriage, her green eyes looking lost in thought, her hand resting daintily on her chin, fingers curled in.

"Such wonderful weather for your first day back, isn't it, Sibella dear?" Asked the man, his thick Romanian accent extremely obvious in his voice.

The girl merely nodded, not looking away from the window. "Hm," She replied in a noncommittal tone.

A flash of lightning quickly illuminated the inside of the carriage, low rumbling soon following it. The man raised an eyebrow at her as he continued. "Sibella, darling, are you okay? You have been brooding for the past couple of days." In response, she gave an answer identical to her last one. This did not appear to satisfy the man, as he went on. "...this is not about your step-mother again, is it?"

Sibella's hand seemed to clench, looking more like a fist at this point. Discussions about her step-mother were not a new occurrence, and it wasn't until recently did the two of them end up on any form of good terms with each other. Despite this, she had been quite adamant with her father that she remained absent from this current trip. She did not look away from the window, although she would finally speak up. "It's nothing, daddy." Her voice was almost like the purr of a cat, with almost no accent to be heard.

"Then what is troubling you, dear?"

Sibella remained quiet for a few seconds, as if formulating her response. After some time, she finally looked at her father, her eyes not changing from her thoughtful (or bored) expression. "It's nothing too important. I've just... been thinking about a dream I had a few nights ago," She explained.

The man's eyes widened some, his eyebrows cocking upwards in a quizzical manner. "Hm. Do you perhaps remember what it is you dreamt?" He inquired.

Sibella merely shrugged at this, waving off it's importance. "Nothing too weird. Some of it was just flashes of images. Mostly fire," She told. "The strangest part for me, though, was the fact that during most of it, I saw nothing but blackness. The only thing I could sense was a voice, hissing inside my ear. It spoke of fear, power, and helplessness." She visibly shivered some, clearly being chilled by remembering it.

The man who was her father gave a serious look, arms now folding in front of him. "...hm. It may not seem like anything now, but if you still can recall it, than that must mean it has unnerved you," He spoke thoughtfully. "Dreams are not to be taken too lightly, you know."

"I'm aware, daddy."

"If this dream is to show up again, that means that something serious is going to happen." The man looked to the side, thinking to himself a little. "And from what you have told me, it is going to be nothing pleasant."

Sibella's hand seemed to clutch against her own, which were now folded in her lap as she listened to her father's words.

When she said nothing, he looked back at her, lowering his voice some. "Sibella. If you have a bad feeling about this sort of thing, we do not have to return-"

"No," She butted in suddenly. Her father raised his eyebrow again at her. "It was but one night that I had it. It was chilling, certainly, but it has not since repeated itself. It was most likely nothing." In her mind, however, she knew that the dream was nothing to brush off. Her father was right in that regard. Still, she did not want to stay home, away from her school. It was almost like a second home to her, and she could not bear to be away from her friends for much longer.

Naturally, he did not look to believe her at all. Of course, after a bit of a staring between each other, it was evident that she was not looking to back away. The man sighed and broke eye contact, looking down. "Very well. We continue."

Soon, the sky erupted in another loud boom of thunder, which followed after a strike of lightning. The carriage passed an enormous building, one which the two recognized as a rival school. In the years, it appears to have gotten much bigger as more and more students began to apply. That was not the place they were headed for, the coachman keeping a consistent speed throughout the haunted looking woods.

Throughout the remainder of the ride, neither of the two passengers spoke, enjoying the sounds of the incoming storm, as well as the stomps of the thestrals' hooves. Soon, the coachman clicked his tongue and the carriage slowed to a halt. "We have arrived, Count," He grumbled lowly.

"Ah, excellent," The man spoke, grinning a bit. He revealed his sharp fangs some as he turned his attention back to his daughter. "I hope you have a good year, darling. And please be careful."

Sibella finally flashed a smile, showing off her own set of fangs. "Do not worry, daddy. I'll be fine."

Soon, the side door of the coach opened up, the coachman remaining quiet as he did so. Sibella stepped out of the carriage, the Count remaining seated. As soon as she stepped foot onto the soil, she was greeted by a familiar walking octopus with a toupee and tie. His face was formed in a regal manner, tentacles quickly moving in to grab a hold of most the bags inside before leading the girl towards the mansion in front of them. Sibella had decided to hold onto one of them, keeping both hands around the handle. The drawbridge was down, and at the entrance stood the headmistress of the school: Miss Grimwood. Matches was laying by her left side, eyeing over the vampire some. To her right shoulder was a floating, white hand.

"Don't forget to write, dear!" The Count called to her before the door was shut. The coachman climbed up on the carriage, tipping his hat a little.

"Enjoy your year, miss," He replied simply before tugging the ropes and leading the carriage away.

Miss Grimwood greeted the young vampire with a wide smile. "Ah, Sibella. It's so nice to see you again!"

Sibella nodded and smiled at her, setting her bag down before curtsying a little as she spoke. "A pleasure to see you again too, Miss Grimwood. May I ask if anyone else has shown up yet?"

"No, you're the first one tonight," The teacher replied. "Not to worry, they'll be here soon! In the meantime, why not unpack and make yourself comfortable? Once everyone shows up, I'll get started with our evening feast."

"Sounds fang-tastic," Sibella said, gasping a little before covering her mouth. "...I mean, wonderful." She fixed, flushing a bit as she removed her hand.

Miss Grimwood merely chuckled and waved her hand. "Oh, come now, Sibella, no need to be so formal. You may be older, but you'll always be my student."

Sibella grinned at her before nodding. "I've missed this place," She sighed some, heading up the stairs with the octopus butler. As she reached for her bag, the white hand floating around Miss Grimwood's shoulder went to grab a hold of it for her. She put a hand up, shaking her head. "If you please, I wish to carry this one for myself." The hand let go and gave the 'OK' symbol with it's fingers before floating back to the headmistress.

Once the vampire had made it to her old room, the octopus had just finished putting her bags down, arranging them neatly on the floor. "Thank you very much," She said to the butler, who bowed it's large head before heading back down the stairs. Sibella shut the door behind her, setting her personal bag on the bed. Despite feeling a small sense of dread, due to her dream, she still felt an overwhelming sense of comfort, being back at her school, the promise of seeing her friends once more making her excited. With a contented sigh, she began to open up her bags, starting to put everything away.

* * *

 

Velma and Daphne watched with amusement as Freddie got cursed out. They had sat themselves inside of the local cafe, both to get lunch and ask questions. However, it seems like the first person who Freddie went up to wasn't all too keen about speaking about the attack. Even though none of them could understand Creole, the angry expression on the woman made it apparent that she wouldn't talk.

"Okay okay, jeez!" Freddie said, turning away and lifting his hand up in exasperation. "You ask  _one_  question..."

"Yeah, how'd  _that_  work out for you?" Velma asked smugly, resting her head in her hand. Daphne had her hand over her mouth, trying to hide her own laughter as Freddie sat himself down, crossing his arms.

"Guess the locals aren't very fond of answering questions about this sort of thing," He huffed, trying to avoid the gaze of the woman as she stared daggers at him.

"They probably think it's bad juju, or something," Daphne said, removing her hand and taking a sip from her mug.

At the same table, Shaggy and Scooby sat obliviously, eating from a shared plate of numerous burgers, fries piled all around the plate. After polishing off his fifth hamburger, he laughed a bit. "Like, I don't blame 'em! If I had experienced an attack, like I'd keep quiet too." Scooby nodded, his reply being muffled due to the amount of fries he was trying to shove in.

In that moment, someone sitting at a table by themselves had turned their attention towards the group of five. She stood up and began to make her way over to them. Daphne was the first to notice her, waving her hand. "Oh hello! Can we help you with something?" She asked, which pulled the attention of everyone else over to her. Velma and Freddie turned to the stranger, the latter of the two ready to ask questions. Before he could, however, Shaggy gulped down his food and spoke up for him.

"...Googie?"

The girl lifted her hand, waving sheepishly. "Hiya, Shaggy," She responded. Everyone else looked surprised. In a quick moment, Freddie smiled and look to him.

"Ooh, is  _this_  who you were talking about earlier?" He asked. Googie, much like the rest of the gang, hadn't changed much. Her hair was still a bright strawberry blond cut into a bob, her outfit still consisting of sneakers, socks, a skirt, and a tank top. The only difference was that she was also wearing a varsity jacket of a local college. She had taken to petting Scooby on the head, who had quickly ran over to give her a hug.

Shaggy laughed sheepishly and nodded. "Yeah..! Like, what's new with you, Googie?" He asked, turning to look at her.

Googie shrugged simply, her gentle voice speaking through. "Nothing much, just going through life normally, I suppose." She looked between them all, grinning a bit. "...but from what I hear, you and your friends have been doing more interesting things."

She decided to sit between Freddie and Shaggy. Despite Shaggy continuing to eat, Freddie couldn't help but look over her. She  _was_  really cute. Daphne cleared her throat after he stared for a second too long, causing him to look away, blushing bashfully. "Heh... erm, w-well nice to meet you! I'm Freddie, this is Daphne, and that's Velma," He introduced, pointing to everyone else at the table.

The girl nodded and smiled more. "Oh, Shaggy's told me about you guys. It's really impressive, I think!" Googie looked around and leaned in. "To be honest, though, it's a bit dangerous to speak about ... what happened around here."

"Yeah, Freddie found that out the hard way," Velma stated, making everyone else laugh, much to the chagrin of Fred, who had crossed his arms again.

"So I heard," Googie continued, looking a bit serious again. "I don't have as much experience with this kind of thing as you guys, though, but it's still very dangerous. I've only gotten into these kind of exploits before, when Shag-"

In that moment, Shaggy began to choke, clearing his throat very loudly. This stopped her as they all looked at him. He merely responded with a laugh. "L-like, they don't have to know about that, Googie!"

In response, she gave a surprised look, her hands moving her hips. "You mean you  _haven't_  told them?" Shaggy flinched as Scooby gulped, who also began to laugh nervously.

"What do you mean?" Daphne persisted, everyone looking confused by this.

Googie rolled her eyes as she sighed, Shaggy slumping in his seat as he remained quiet. "If Shaggy hasn't told you guys, I guess  _I'll_  have to."

"Tell us about what?" Velma asked, everyone starting to lean in.

Googie looked between them all and replied, "About Shaggy's racing career."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thank you guys for enjoying my work so far! I've seen so many people view my work, and I hope that this fiction is written well enough for you all. I don't plan on abandoning this any time soon, even if my life becomes too busy.
> 
> I've decided to add in a bit of canon from Reluctant Werewolf, as you can see, though I won't allude to it too much. After all, I want this fiction to be able to stand on it's own without too many past references. With that being said, I do not know much about a lot of the Scooby Doo movies, so if it turns out I've forgotten something canon from a movie, just remember I may not have seen it. Again, just think of this fiction as something on it's own.
> 
> My inspiration was taken from other fanfiction writers, such as Mr. Spinner, who wrote/is writing "The Wolfman of Grimwood", and Ninjamuffin13 of "Scooby Doo and the House of Monsters" fame. Give these fictions a read, as I think they are very good! While my writing may not be on par with these authors, I do hope you enjoy my story! Make sure to leave a review, as they're greatly appreciated. I'll answer any questions you guys may have, so don't be afraid to ask!


	4. Back to School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mystery Incorporated heads to Grimwood's to meet the students.

**Scooby Doo: Monster Menagerie**

**Chapter 4: Back to School**

A few patrons of the small restaurant looked in the direction of a certain group of friends, who happened to be enjoying a story between the five of them (well, six, if you counted the great dane). Some looked amused, a few looked rather annoyed, as at random intervals, they would often break off into fits of laughter, sudden breaths of gasping, and even a bit of groaning.

Googie would be the one retelling most of the story, although Shaggy and occasionally Scooby would interject to fill in any blanks that she would have missed. For the most part, the other three members of Mystery Incorporated would be very interested in the story, albeit for slightly different reasons.

Freddie was greatly invested in the amount of action that Shaggy, Scooby, Scrappy, and Googie had to go through. It would have made a great story in and of itself, but with the fact that monsters were thrown in almost made it hard to believe! He didn't seem to take that into account, though, rather focusing on everything else.

Velma, however, focused more on the fact that none of them seemed to be quite nonchalant about the whole ordeal. Sure, sometimes they'd react with a grimace at the mention of two certain hunchbacks, or even slightly angry about the fact that Dracula had no intent on keeping his end of the bargain. That didn't seem to surprise the curious girl, though. The King of Vampires was known to be regal and a bit uptight. His reputation to be a deadly creature of the night was something he felt like he needed to uphold, and if he had to do so by lying and cheating, so be it. Still though, why he would do so for a ridiculous road race was beyond her.

As for Daphne, she didn't seem to carry any disbelief for the very outlandish story. For a little while, she didn't know why. Shaggy as a werewolf driving in a monster car with other monsters? It was definitely not something she should have blindly believed as she listened to the story unravel. Strangely enough, though, she did. It wasn't until around halfway through the story did she even realize why. It would also unknowingly give her an explanation as to why Shaggy didn't seem comfortable talking about that school he used to teach at.

At one point, she and Shaggy, along with Scooby, Scrappy, and a boy who passed himself off as a con-artist, managed to track down and recapture a bunch of evil spirits (after accidentally setting them free, that is). At the time, the whole prospect of it was quite terrifying, but they all made it through to the end. It was certainly an adventure that they would never forget.

And yet, neither one of them seemed to bring it up again afterwards. Why though? Was it the feeling that the others wouldn't believe them? Perhaps they both felt guilty about having not included them? Guilt over whether or not they'd be worried for their own safety when they, at the time, almost carelessly disregarded it? Strangely enough, even as she thought about it now, the only part about that whole adventure that scared her was how she had decided to style her hair back then. Just thinking about it made her wince a little.

Eventually, the story of the werewolf Shaggy, Dracula, and a monster road race would end, leaving most of the others in almost stunned silence. "In the end, it's strange to think back on that whole event. If anything, all of those monsters turned out to be kinda... well, dumb," Googie concluded, smiling a bit as she held in a laugh. Scooby wasn't as thoughtful, snickering to himself.

"Ryeah! Real dumb ronsters!"

Shaggy was grinning as well, although he was meekly slurping from a milkshake, not wanting to bring too much attention to himself.

Freddie was the first to speak, grinning widely at Shaggy, heavily impressed. "Wow, Shag, I guess you weren't lying about being a race car driver after all," He began. "Not only that, but you had to do it with a bunch of monsters!"

"As a werewolf too," Velma cut in, smiling, although looking down in thought. "Never knew someone could turn into one without being bitten..."

"Like, neither did I, really!" Shaggy said in between sips of his shake. "I guess, like, even on my own time, I can't help but get into monster related trouble," He said with a small laugh.

"...is that why you two broke up?" Daphne suddenly asked. It must have been the reporter in her to make her ask such a thing, but it still got some reactions. Shaggy immediately snorted milkshake in shock, making a lot of it shoot up into his face. Scooby was there to lick it off of his face, though once his vision was cleared, he gave a shocked 'Why would you ask that?!' face to Daphne. Freddie and Velma turned to her, slightly confused, eyebrows perked up. Googie also seemed quite surprised, eyes wide as she thought about what the red head had just asked.

"Oh..! Well uh, that's quite sudden..." Googie replied, blushing and looking away awkwardly. "Let me put it to you this way... you're  _kinda_  right." When it was apparent that Shaggy didn't seem to have any sort of input other than trying to bury his face into his glass once again, his ex-girlfriend continued on. "Like I mentioned earlier, he's told me about you guys, as well as the types of 'mysteries' you all get into. While they don't sound dangerous, other than a bunch of weirdos dressing up, it just... wasn't the kind of thing for me."

Googie looked down, almost looking guilty. "...he even offered me to have me tag along. But with everything that had just happened, I was shocked and angry. I couldn't understand  _why_  he wanted to go through all this again. I know I certainly wouldn't! So I... broke it off." She finished simply, rubbing her arm, avoiding everyone's gaze.

After a few minutes, Shaggy spoke up, having gotten the nerve to find his voice. "Hey, Googie, c'mon. Like, I don't blame ya." She turned her head to him and tilted it, wondering what he meant. "Like, It was a lot to go through, and asking such a question was a bit in... poor taste, I guess." He chuckled a little. "I mean, if I was in your position, I would've broken up with me too." He said, smiling gently. "So, like, don't go beating yourself over it. It's in the past, and we can move on, right?"

Googie returned the smile, her eyes looking somewhat embarrassed. "Yeah, we can."

Everyone else at the table watched the two make up, staying quiet and enjoying it. Even Scoob was touched by it, letting out a little "R'aww..." Good old Shaggy Rogers. Never one to hold a grudge for too long, and always looking to forgive. The moment didn't last too long, because soon, Shaggy turned to get another bit of shake, only to find Scoob slurping the rest of it, leaving an empty glass.

"Hey..!" He said, glaring at his dog, who began to giggle apologetically. Everyone else was amused by this, as they started laughing a long.

"Hm, guess some things never change, huh?" Googie mused.

"Seems like it," Velma agreed, nodding as she began to stand up. "By the way, we should probably head out to that school if we wanna get there before it gets too dark." The gang looked out the window, realizing they had spent a good portion of their day listening and talking in the cafe. The sky was a faint orange color as the sun began to set over the small town.

"Woah! Guess we kinda lost track of time," Daphne said, beginning to get up as well, everyone joining in.

"Right! Shag, you still remember where it is, right?" Fred asked his friend.

"Like, of course! Shouldn't take too long. We may even make it just in time for dinner!" Shaggy added, making Scooby nod.

"Ooh a school?" Googie said, looking between everyone. "I didn't know you taught, Shaggy. Okay if I tag along? Y'know, for old times' sake?" She continued, smiling shyly and looking down. The foodie and his dog froze in place, looking between each other for a bit.

"Hey, yeah! Come along with us, it should be fun!" Freddie answered, looking to his frozen friend. "You don't care, do you?"

"Uh..." The thoughts of Googie running away from the school after having met the monster students soon came to mind. His nerves got the best of him, as he quickly answered in a voice that was slightly higher pitched than usual. "Like, sure! Why not?"

Scooby merely shook his head and mumbled to himself. "Ruh roh..."

None of the others seemed to notice this as they began to head into the Mystery Machine. "Great! You can sit in the back with Shaggy and Scooby," Fred said, getting into the driver's seat. Soon, everyone got in their usual spots, Googie looking around some.

"So  _this_  is the infamous Mystery Machine..." She thought aloud.

"Like, what do you think?" Shaggy asked, leaning back in his seat some.

"Not bad! Pretty small, though, don't you think?"

"It does the job," Daphne continued, looking back at Googie.

"Hey, Shag, where do I head from here?" Freddie asked, starting the van up.

"Oh, like, head on down this road until you reach see a small soft-shouldered road to the right. You're gonna, like, head on down there through the woods," He answered, leaning over to point out the directions.

With a nod, he began to turn the wheel and they were off.

Out of curiosity, Googie asked, "So, now that I've told my story, what about you guys? Got any good adventures to retell while we wait?"

The sun began to set semi-quickly as the van rolled through the woods. Laughter filled the Mystery Machine as they all began to retell some of their favorite past adventures. Naturally, many of their stories ending as they usually did, with someone getting their disguise pulled off. It never seemed to get old, at least not to them.

As Freddie continued to drive further and further into the woods, the clouds above would seem to get heavier and darker. A rumble of thunder seemed to get everyone quiet for a little. "Hey gang, might run into a bit of rain."

"Like, turn your brights on, then. Last time I had to drive out here, it was raining. Almost got lost!" Shaggy advised. The blond nodded and quickly did so. In that moment, he seemed to almost drive directly into the storm. A wall of rain begin to hit against the windshield, and it was coming down hard.

None of the others could hear their own thoughts as rain pounded against the van, Freddie making sure to turn the wipers on high so that he wouldn't lose track of the road. "Hey Shaggy, how long until we get there?"

"Uh, like, not sure..." He said, rubbing his head.

"Wait, I see a sign up ahead!" Daphne pointed out. A couple of seconds passed as Freddie got closer to it, letting his lights hit the sign.

"Calloway Military School for Boys," Freddie read aloud. "Definitely not the place..." He said, a little disappointed. He had to speak a little louder, as the rain didn't seem to ease up any.

"Wait, we can't be too far away," Velma interject, also having to speak up. "The detective did say there were two schools out this way, right?"

"Like, yeah, I remember having to pass Calloway's. We're getting closer, Freddie, just keep going!" Shaggy continued. This seemed to spark a small surge of enthusiasm back into the blond, as he backed up a little and continued on down the old road. At this point, even though they could barely see anything else, they all began to get a bad feeling. Despite it being so dark, the overall feeling of dread seemed to fill everyone's mind. It was almost palpable.

"Hey, Shaggy..? Was it this... spooky when you drove here?" Googie asked somewhat nervously.

He nodded, but also seemed to be shaking a bit, Scooby holding onto him in a cowardly way. "Yeah, b-but that doesn't make it any less freaky!"

"Ruh huh!" Scooby agreed.

"Hey wait, I see... a gate!" Freddie laughed. "Finally, we made it!" Sure enough, the Mystery Machine made it to the metal gate, two gargoyles perched on either side. On the stone fence was a wooden sign, which Freddie shined his light on.

"Miss Grimwood's Finishing School for... Ghouls?" He read, sounding confused. "Huh, guess one of the boys back at the military school must've done a bit of graffiti."

Shaggy and Scooby shared a look with each other, nodding somewhat sheepishly. "Like, yeah, probably..."

"I'm just wondering why the police seemed to intent on keeping this place secret..." Velma started, as she looked to the sign. "However, I think our bigger problem is the fact that there's no one out here and the gate is-" In that moment, the gate slowly swung open, wide enough to let the van through. "...closed?" She finished, everyone starting to feel on edge as they looked at each other in an uneasy manner.

"...are you  _sure_  this is normal?" Daphne asked aloud.

This question was met with a gulp from Shaggy. "Like, I hope..."

The gang was met with the image of a giant mansion, which began to grow closer and closer to them. Freddie soon began to slow the van to a halt, analyzing the area the best he could. It wasn't that easy to do in all the rain, even with the wipers at maximum speed. There was one easily noticeable thing that he felt like needed to be pointed out. "Hey gang, there's a moat here."

"So I guess this is as far as we go?" Googie asked, looking both a bit scared and confused. She wasn't the only one, as the others seemed to be nervous too.

"Like, don't worry guys, the drawbridge should come down any second," Shaggy stated, rather calmly. Almost on cue, the crank of an old wooden handle and the clinking of chains was audible, even through the pelting rain. The giant drawbridge opened up, revealing a rather warm looking light coming from inside the massive mansion. "Like, we have to walk from here. I don't think Miss Grimwood would appreciate us driving into her school." He chuckled before stepping out with Scooby. The gang was even more confused at this point. Why did Shaggy seem so... calm about this whole thing?

With a shrug, Velma unbuckled and opened her door. "Well... I guess we follow him," She stated simply. The other three gave a nod and left the van as well. They hurried along the drawbridge, wanting to get out of the rain as soon as possible. The wood creaked gently as they stumbled along a bit. At one point, Googie let out a shriek and seemed to jump, hurrying inside.

"G-guys..?! I think I saw something move in the moat..!"

Shaggy merely waved his hand casually, shaking himself off from the rain, Scooby doing the same. "Like, don't worry about him, he's harmless."

Freddie and Daphne looked around the room they were in. It looked quite old and dusty, as if it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. Cobwebs hung from everywhere, candles being used to light up rooms. Old bookshelves, dusty looking couches and chairs. Everything looked very antique, as if they were hired to upkeep the mansion and weren't doing a very good job of it. It was hard to believe that this building was the school in which Shaggy used to teach in.

Velma dried her glasses off with her sweater, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Him? Harmless? Shaggy, is there something you're not telling us?"

Shaggy chuckled sheepishly, looking a bit bashful. "Like, don't worry, you'll know soon enough."

"Maybe sooner than you think," Came a new voice. This got everyone's attention as they watched a stout woman with black hair and a pink dress walk in.

"Like, hey again Miss Grimwood," Shaggy greeted, Scooby giving a wave.

"Riya!"

"Hello again, Coach Rogers. Scooby."

While the woman was clearly quite friendly, there was something a bit off about her. She didn't seem like the type to keep her own building in such a frightful state, but yet she didn't seem at all perturbed by it. Even stranger, neither did Shaggy or Scooby. The rest of the gang watched with wide, confused looks. It wouldn't be long before she stepped forward and shook his hand, which he eagerly returned, doing the same with Scoob. "I also see you brought some friends, this time."

He turned around and saw the four of them huddled together, obviously weirded out by the weird house. Velma was giving him a strange look, as if waiting for him to explain where they were. Freddie, Daphne, and Googie seemed pretty nervous, watching to make sure a spider wouldn't land on them.

"Oh, like, these are my friends! Freddie, Velma, and Daphne are part of Mystery Incorporated, and that's Googie, who I, like, used to go out with," He explained, laughing a bit. They all gave a sheepish smile and a wave.

"Uh.. a pleasure to meet you, Miss Grimwood." Velma began, trying to sound polite.

"Yeah, real... lovely place you got here," Daphne added, eyeing roach crawl from a crack in the wall all the way up to a crack in the ceiling.

Miss Grimwood smiled a bit more, laughing some at her comment. "Oh well thank you. I made sure everything was just perfect for the girls' arrival!" She explained, leading them further into the building. Shaggy and Scooby followed closely, the rest soon catching up after a few seconds. Was this a... design choice by the woman?

"Erm... if you don't mind me asking," Googie began nervously. "I assume the girls don't mind this type of decor?"

"Oh, they adore it!" Grimwood replied happily, stopping in what appeared to be a big foyer. She turned her attention to Shaggy and Scooby. "Speaking of which, would you like to see the girls again, Shaggy? I'm sure they wouldn't mind taking time from unpacking to see their favorite coach again."

"Like, I'm their favorite?" He asked, sounding surprised. Miss Grimwood replied with a giggle.

"Well of course! Not only did you help them win their first volleyball game, but also saving them from that evil witch! You were bound to leave an impact."

"Witch?!" The other four replied, sounding surprised by how casual she threw that out there.

Shaggy gulped and laughed nervously. "Oh right! Heh... uh, Miss Grimwood... I like-"

"Didn't tell your friends, hm?" She finished, looking up with an eyebrow cocked, her grin not leaving her face. A meek nod from the two gave her the answer she needed. The woman turned her attention to the four, smiling wider. "Not to worry, we'll be sure to explain everything over dinner." Shaggy and Scooby shared an excited expression at the mention of dinner, while the other four shared one of unease.

Miss Grimwood cleared her throat as she kept on. "But first..." She turned her head towards the stairwell, calling at them. "Girls! Come downstairs, your coach is here!"

None of them, save for Grimwood, expected the response that was given, which sounded like it came from a rough, tough girl. "Ugh, no way! I've had enough of him!"

Miss Grimwood put her hands on her hips as she huffed, everyone else making a confused noise. "Now,  _really_ , Winnie! That's no way to treat a guest, let alone your-"

"Coach..?" Came a new, timid voice. It was quite small sounding, but still made an effort to make itself known. This got the attention of everyone, looking at the source of the sound. To Freddie, Daphne, Velma, and Googie, they saw a bandaged girl decked out in gold jewelry peek out from behind a door frame. To Miss Grimwood, Shaggy, and Scooby, they knew exactly who that was.

Scooby grinned and waved a paw. "Riya, Ranis!"

Miss Grimwood stepped out of the way as the girl suddenly let out a squeal, quickly running forwards at the two. Now that she fully revealed herself to be fully bandaged, the other got even more confused. Was she a burn victim? She didn't sound like one, nor did she look like she was in pain. The jewelry looked Egyptian, certainly. Was she a...?

In that instant, the mummified girl jumped up and clung to Shaggy's neck, hugging onto him tightly. Shaggy, oddly enough,  _laughed_. As he returned the hug to the overeager young girl, he looked over her some. "Like, you  _can't_  be Tanis! You're all grown up!" He joked.

The girl replied by nodding happily. "Yeah..! My mummy-daddy made sure to freshly wrap my bandages before I got here, even supplying me with more in case I hit another growth spurt!"

At this point, the other four shared a look, as if sharing the same thought. Was 'mummy-daddy' a weird way of her saying 'mother and father'? Before any of them could ask, however, the voice from before was heard as Shaggy gently put the short, bandaged girl down.

"...wait a second..." The voice mumbled. The next noise heard was a door quickly opening up. A couple of seconds passed before a very loud howling noise was made. The noise sent shivers down everyone's spine, although Shaggy seemed to keep smiling happily.

"That sounded like..." Daphne began. Before she could continue, though, something heavy came rampaging down the stairs.

_Thump thump thump thump_ _**thump thump thump THUMP THUMP THUMP** _

A brown and blue furry blur came leaping down the stairs, hitting the floor and immediately jumping at Shaggy. Tanis had tugged Scooby out of the way to avoid the oncoming collision. "COOOOOOACH!" The blur howled out.

As she made contact with the lanky man, he let out a loud grunt, being sent back at least five yards. The gang let out a yell, Googie shrieking loudly.

"A werewolf!" She cried out, watching with wide scared eyes. The sight before them, thankfully, wasn't Shaggy being gored alive. It was Shaggy laughing.  _Again_. He was trying to wrestle the girl off of him, who was taking to nuzzling and hugging him as tightly as she possibly could, giving Shaggy a face full of brown fur and messy orange hair. Up close, they could see that the wolf wore a baby blue tank top with shredded jeans. Obviously, she lacked shoes.

"Coach! Aw man, I can't believe it's you again! I didn't know you were here until I thought I heard your voice! I opened my door and took a whiff and... it  _was_  you! You actually came back!" She rambled in a giddy manner, her tail wagging like crazy.

"Hahaha! Like, it's good to see you too, Winnie!"

Freddie gave a little, nervous smile. "Uh... maybe it's just a really hairy girl?"

Googie shook her head, pointing towards the nuzzling wolf. "Then how do you explain the tail?!"

In that moment, Winnie lifted her head up and eyed them all, making them flinch a bit. She turned back to Shaggy. "Who're they?"

"Oh like, a few friends of mine I decided to bring along!" He answered. With this, she finally got off of Shaggy's chest, quickly moving towards the others, who were now huddled in a tight group, worried what Winnie was about to do. She began moving around them, eyeing them up with glowing yellow eyes and sniffing them loudly.

"Hrmm... they don't  _smell_  dangerous..." She grumbled, eyeing over Freddie a little. "How do we know they're not gonna cause trouble?" Winnie asked skeptically. Oddly enough, Velma was thinking the same thing.

Tanis had taken to hiding behind Scooby, who was looking over the group cautiously. Scooby was gently patting her head as she smiled shyly. "Th-they're friends of Shaggy's, so they wouldn't do anything. Right..?" She asked nervously, peeking up at them with her bright blue eyes.

Daphne couldn't help but smile at the shy young girl. She was really adorable, even if something about her did seem off. Did the bandages really mean she was a mummy?

Another noise seemed to echo through the room. This time, however, it sounded more like heavy footsteps growing louder and louder as they ascended a stairwell. Items seemed to shake as the rumbled grew louder, a few people losing their balance, even some of the students. "Ah, that must be another girl eager to meet you again!" Miss Grimwood stated.

One cue, a door loudly creaked open, and a tall girl started lumbering towards them. A  _very_  tall girl. Covered in stitches. With standing black and white hair. And bolts out of her neck. And very intimidating muscles. The girl seemed to be wearing patchwork green clothing, which almost matched her sickly pale green skin. From the looks of it, she also wore an old (and, thankfully, clean looking) apron. She wore matching pants and large black boots. The way she seemed to stare at everybody looked like she was going to murder them all in an instant.

That is until Shaggy spoke up. "Like, hey, Elsa! I see you've grown up lots too!" In that moment, her face softened up, smiling brightly as she quickly ran to him, quickly scooping up Scooby and Shaggy into a backbreaking hug.

"Coach! It's been so long!" She boomed happily. Her voice came out quite slow, yet loud. The two squirmed in her grasp, Shaggy's grin turning into a pained grimace.

"Mmf... yeah..! Like, great to be back..!" Shaggy strained.

"Reaking of racks..." Scooby grunted, starting to feel lightheaded.

Miss Grimwood seemed to chuckle a bit before speaking up. "Careful now, Elsa, or they'll pass out before the others get a chance to see them."

The girl named Elsa opened her arms and let out a sheepish laugh. "Sorry about that, Coach. Without your guidance I think I got a bit weaker." She said, rubbing her very toned looking bicep.

Shaggy laughed and gave her muscle a playful squeeze. Or at least tried to, but it looked like he was trying to squish a rock. "If that's weak, then I'll bet your A-game is, like, off the charts," He joked, laughing a bit.

Freddie blinked at the sight of more and more... strange girls coming in. As the werewolf continued to sniff them, he gulped. "...maybe she got into a few accidents as a kid..?"

"Including two bolts in her neck?" Velma added in sarcastically.

"Maybe an incident at a construction site?" He added in hastily. Winnie looked to Tanis, pointing a thumb at him and giving a look that said 'can you believe this guy?' The mummy girl hid her face in her bandages to stifle her giggles.

As Shaggy and Scooby readjusted their spines, a very loud cackling filled the room. All of the humans, save for Miss Grimwood, seemed to flinch at it. Suddenly, the torso of a blue girl phased through the floor, right in front of Daphne, who let out a shout, staring at her with wide eyes. She was a translucent blue, her hair white with a blue streak down the middle, almost like a side mohawk.

The girl didn't seem to take any mind at this, looking around. "Hehehe, hey hey! What's with all the ruckus, huh? Are we having our Halloween party in September this year?!" She joked, giggling maniacally. She turned her head 180 degrees, landing on the group, who seemed to back up. There was no denying that this girl was a ghost, and a loud one, at that. "Hiya, strangers! Pleasure to meet ya! I'm Phantasma, but you can all call me Phanty! Everyone does, after all," She continued to speak, pulling herself through the floor and floating above everyone. Her body was still dressed in a tattered blue dress, her feet covered in white cowboy boots. The biggest difference in her was that she definitely looked older, even if she didn't dress that way.

"And hello to you too, Winnie, and Tanis, and Shaggy, and Scooby, and Elsa, and Miss-" Phanty stopped mid-sentence, gasping loudly and over-dramatically. In an instant, she flew over to Scooby and Shaggy, pulling them by the waist so that she was in between them in a sandwich type of hug. The phantom let out an ear piercing squeal, bouncing in place in a giddy manner. "Ohmygod ohmygod ohmyGOD! It's really you two!" She laughed happily, her energy not having gone down an ounce.

Despite her loud voice and her cold touch, Shaggy smiled and returned the hug with Scooby. "Like, of course it is! I'm surprised you're this excited over us!"

"Well duh! You're the bestest coach in the world!" Phanty screamed, circling around the two happily.

"Come now, Phanty, try not to overwhelm our guests too badly," Came the purr of a sultry voice. Everyone turned to see a purple girl descend the stairs, staring with a half lidded gaze between everyone. She had a strange beauty to her, and it was almost hard to believe she was a teenager. She looked very much like a young woman, her complexion practically perfect in every way. Her dress seemed to flow gracefully behind her.

Thankfully, to the off-put group of four, she looked relatively normal, if a bit goth and... purple. Her eyes seemed very strange, for some reason, though. They peered into the eyes of the four before she turned to Shaggy and Scooby. She let herself curtsy and bow her head slightly. "Welcome to Grimwood's. I am Sibella Dracula," She introduced politely, almost regally. At the mention of the name 'Dracula', Googie's grasp seemed to tighten against Fred's shirt. Whether out of fear or anger, even she did not know.

There was definitely something... terrifying about the girl. Not outwardly, but something inside. With the name Dracula, there was no doubt this young lady was a vampire. Powerful beings, ones that shouldn't be trifled with. The gang remained silent as Shaggy stared blankly at her. For a moment, they thought he was going to come to terms with reality. He was in a mansion filled with monsters, one of whom was the daughter of the worlds' most dangerous vampire. They expected him to suddenly realize where he was and hit the road.

Imagine their faces when he merely put his hands on his hips, raised an eyebrow, and gave a wry smile.

"Like, c'mon, Sibella. You know there's no reason to act so proper around me!" He stated.

A few seconds passed before her lips curled upwards into a grin. A blur of purple flashed forward onto Shaggy, not unlike how Tanis had earlier. It was a bit creepier, though, since she was tall enough to reach the floor, her face right near his neck. Despite the fact the rest of the group held their breath, expecting her to plunge her fangs into his jugular, she merely kept hugging.

"...it's fang-tastic to see you again, Shaggy," She sighed, letting go of him after a few seconds. Shaggy smiled brightly at her and laughed again.

"Like,  _there's_  the Sibella I know!"

Googie, Velma, Daphne, and Fred were dumbfounded. Shaggy hugging monsters like it was nothing! Fred cleared his throat, finding his voice.

"...well, gang, I think it's safe to say the sign wasn't vandalized."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Another chapter done! I'll be taking a bit of a break for Thanksgiving, but I hope I won't keep you all waiting too long for the next chapter!
> 
> To everyone enjoying the story, thank you so much! I always appreciate input of any sort, and I hope you all enjoy!


	5. Unexpected News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mystery Inc. joins Grimwood and her students, as the question of Shaggy returning to teach looms in the air.

**Scooby Doo: Monster Menagerie**

**Chapter 5: Unexpected News**

The fire crackled slowly into nothingness as time went on. It illuminated the entire room, making everything look warm. Upon the walls of this room were various pictures, mostly painted, and a few hunting trophies. Above the mantle would be a glass case, holding various medals and other types of military honors. Sitting in a large, cozy looking chair opposite of the fireplace would be a middle aged man, staring intently into the fire, lost in his own thoughts. His fingers intertwined together and rested near his chin as he began to speculate. This man, while retired from the military, still went by the title of Colonel. This man, Colonel Calloway, was in charge of Calloway's Military School for Boys.

His school started out quite small, student wise. While he only had a total of five students, he made sure to work them quickly into perfect shape. He had recently retired from the Army when he opened the school, and unfortunately, despite his numerous honors, he was still quite short on funds to open the school. Reality isn't fun, it seems. Still, Colonel Calloway managed to find cheap estate out in the swamps of Louisiana. In all honesty, it wasn't at all the place he wanted to run his prestigious school, but it would have to do. Besides, his optimistic side told him that living out in a harsh environment would be good to help with survival instincts in his students.

Despite his best efforts, even he couldn't blame parents who didn't trust a school out in the middle of practically nowhere. It certainly didn't help that the building close by was considered haunted by many! He had a school to run, and nothing would stop him. Not even a strange, if charming, woman, who just so happened to live in that building. There was certainly something off putting about her, but Calloway could never figure out what it was. Not that he had time to explore for himself, for he had students to teach.

His five original students (which he now called the Five Stars of Calloway's), would consist of five boys named Tug, Grunt, Jamal, Miguel, and Baxter. He felt that they were a bit... scatterbrained at times, but were eager to please their Colonel, and they always managed to give 110 percent. He grew quite close to these boys, even if they tended to get into trouble... a lot. Even if they went against his orders more often than he cared for, they definitely had lots of potential, and no event showed this off more than the annual volleyball game with the competitors: Grimwood's.

Calloway was quite confident in their ability, as they won every game that they played. There were often rumors of cheating, but he never seemed to take enough care to notice, or do anything about it. After all, victory was victory, and his team showed the skills necessary to secure the win. There was only one year he could think of where his team actually lost, and it was after their competitors managed to get themselves an actual coach.

If it were up to him, that man would  _not_  have gotten the position. He felt too laid back for his taste. He barely even had the body shape of someone who looked like they worked out! There was no denying results, of course. He lead Grimwood's to victory, leading to Calloway's first actual loss. This was a bit hit on his ego, for sure. Despite this, however, he knew that it meant he would have to push his students harder and harder. Shaping diamonds from coal, and all that.

Strangely enough, he had not seen the weird man ever since that game. When he asked Grimwood why, she merely said that he had other business to attend to. Even stranger, though, was the fact that she gave  _him_  the offer to coach her students. Unlike his students, who seemed to be in denial over the girls, he knew for a fact that they were abnormal. Clearly, ghouls would be the perfect term for them, as they were, quite literally, monsters. They were quite nice, of course, as was Grimwood. He got along with her very well, despite how strange he found her. Upon given the opportunity to coach her students, he took it up. He did not mind having to teach two different kinds of students, after all. This would give the girls an opportunity to see what a  _real_  coach could do, and not some laid back hippie.

From that day forward, he went back and forth between the schools. During his own student's study period, he would go to Grimwood's and teach the needed physical education there. Even though he never got used to the odd ways in which they worked out, he didn't play favorites. He treated these girls as if they were his own boys. It was normal for them to complain, almost on a daily basis. The hairy one would often grumble something about the previous coach being vastly superior to his own teaching methods. Calloway never let it bother him, as he figured these girls had never been pushed further than what they were used to. As for future volleyball games, his team would continue to win, though they would always win by the skin of their teeth. No doubt that the girls were quickly catching up in physical skill to match his boys. He also made sure that no cheating would occur on either side, as per Miss Grimwood's request.

As years went on, so did his teaching methods. However, he found it increasingly difficult to keep up with this type of teaching. Mostly because, even though Grimwood's stayed the same, more or less, his own building would become more and more popular. He began to bring in more students each year, all of whom were eager to get military training. His old fashioned methods seemed to work for him, in his situation. It was at this point that he got his Five Stars to consider helping him out in teaching these new students, which they quickly accepted. Never in all his years had pride for his students been so high.

Tug seemed to be a natural leader, even though he often got a bit too rough. He always pushed the others and never accepted quiters. Grunt, while large, was quite strong. It goes to show that being big doesn't mean one is lazy. His own teaching methods seemed to match Tug's somewhat. Jamal was slightly more understanding and patient, which made him a favorite among newcomers. He always expected the best out of others, and was willing to do whatever it took to let them show it. Miguel was quite smart, teaching the students about analyzing and more secretive work, rather than front line. As for Baxter, despite still being quite small, was always eager to please and do anything to make Calloway proud. Baxter always reminded the Colonel of himself when he was younger.

Tonight, though, he wasn't thinking about his students. He was thinking about Grimwood's, oddly enough. Before their year began, he had received a letter from Miss Grimwood, stating that his services were not needed this year, and he could remain at his own school so he could have more time to his duties. This was what was bothering him, mostly. Had she really found someone to replace his methods? If so, who was it? Surely not that same hippie from before? It should not have bothered him as much as it did, but he could not deny it. Hints of doubt filled his mind once more, his mind speaking to him about potential situations to arise later. Would this coach show him up? Would they make Calloway lose again? What if his students wanted to be taught by that coach instead of by him?

The Colonel rubbed his head and sighed, realizing how late he had stayed up. As the fire died down, he got up from his chair and headed to his bed. This would have to be something to discuss with Miss Grimwood later. For now, he would have to put these doubts and thoughts aside. A proper Colonel did not show weakness to his men, after all, and a lack of sleep certainly wouldn't help.

* * *

 

Shaggy looked between his both groups of friends, smiling nervously. It was always awkward to introduce two groups of friends, especially when one was a group of monsters. Scooby seemed preoccupied, being pet by Tanis to seem to back him up. He looked to the rest of Mystery Inc. and cleared his throat a bit. "Well uh... guys, like, meet the girls of Grimwood!" He said, waving his hand out to them. Sibella and Elsa waved politely, Tanis still hiding behind Scooby, still waving at them shyly. Winnie was still close to the group, sniffing them out curiously. As for Phanty, well...

"Hello friends of Shaggy's! It's such a  _scream_  to meet all of you! I don't think he's ever talked about you all before to us. Oh well, that's okay! He was probably too busy making sure we were in proper shape!" Phanty rambled excitedly, floating between each member and making sure to shake their hands as vigorously as possible. This sent a chill down their arms, since she  _was_  a phantom. Fred and Googie seemed to shrink back at the odd ghost girl eagerly greeting them all, while Daphne and Velma were more perplexed by her behavior. She was loud, sure, but by no means malicious. While her large grin and wide eyes were odd looking, they looked a lot more friendly than the detective's.

"Uh... nice to meet you too," Daphne said, feeling unsure of herself. Velma's mind began to work into overdrive. Why did a ghost, of all beings, need  _physical_  education? Her thoughts were quickly disbanded when the loud, maniacal laughter of the phantom filled the air, very pleased to be meeting new friends.

"And like, girls, these are my friends. Aside from me and Scoob, like, Freddie, Daphne, and Velma all make up Mystery Incorporated, a sort of... freelance investigation agency. Like, over there is Googie, a friend of mine who I uh... used to date!" Shaggy explained, pointing everyone out. Freddie gave a small smile, waving back. He seemed to loosen up, even if the other blond, who stuck closely to the group, did not. Mainly due to the fact that Winnie was now inches from her face, sniffing at her intently.

"Hm... you do seem like the kinda person who'd date Coach..." Winnie mused aloud. "A little jumpy, like him." The blond had no idea of that was meant to be an insult or not.

Before Googie could finish her mumbling about personal space, Miss Grimwood had clapped her hands a couple of times to get everyone's attention. After doing so, she'd speak again. "While I'm more than eager to let you all introduce yourselves more properly, I do believe that dinner is ready. Let's take these conversations to the dining room, shall we?" Upon the mention of food, it wasn't long before Shaggy and Scooby had a race into the dining area, the ghouls following after.

"Seems that Shaggy is still the big eater," Sibella joked, walking with the rest of the human group.

"You don't know the half of it," Velma replied, leading to a small laugh from the vampire. Googie was still on edge, due to the fact that Sibella was related to the boss of all vampires, Dracula. She wasn't sure if she was quite ready to trust her just yet, even if she was very polite and on good terms with Shaggy.

"So uh, Sibella, was it?" Googie began, somewhat nervously. The vampire turned her head, ready for whatever question the blond had to ask. "If I can ask, since you're a vampire and all, how do you... get your... sustenance?" She seemed to try and word her sentence very carefully, unsure if this was even the right time to ask such a question.

Thankfully, that didn't happen to be the case, as Sibella merely answered, "Don't worry, vampires don't drink that much blood, and when I need to, I only feed on any small animals if they're nearby."

For the most part, that answer seemed to satisfy Googie, although one thing did stick out to her.  _If_  they're nearby. "What do you do if there aren't any?" She continued on, raising an eyebrow. The answer, or lack thereof, is what freaked her out. Sibella merely flashed a mysterious smile, making sure to show off her fangs before heading off into the dining area.

"I'm pretty sure she was just riling you up," Daphne said, trying to comfort Googie. Regardless of the case, she was going to make sure to try and stick close to someone without fangs.

Before he stepped in, Fred put his hand on his chin, as if remembering something. "Um, Miss Grimwood? What about our bags? We left them out in the Mystery Machine."

Miss Grimwood nodded, not removing her gentle smile from her face. "Don't you worry about that, Freddie," She replied, clapping her hands once more. Soon, Freddie's eyes widened as he watched an... octopus with a tie walk (yes  _walk_ ) over to the entrance. In a couple of quick minutes, he was returning, their bags being carried by his multiple tentacles as if it were nothing. "I assume you're staying the night, so he'll help show you where you'll be sleeping," The woman continued casually, leading Freddie into the next room.

_'This place gets weirder and weirder...'_  He thought to himself.

The dining area was just as creepy looking as the rest of the place, although the lit fire from a nearby furnace made the whole area nice and warm. Of course, right next to the fire, was a large green reptile, resting by itself. Apparently, it wasn't too keen on all the loud noise it was hearing earlier, and was trying to keep to itself. Velma was the first to take notice of this, pointing to it. "Oh! Is that a... komodo dragon?" She asked, moving closer to get a better view of the sleepy, grumpy Matches.

Matches peeked it's head up, grumbling lowly. Who were these people? He didn't recognize any of them. Intruders! He would not stand for this! With a bit of a growl, his whole body seemed to change from green to a glowing red. Velma gulped and stepped back, hands up as she tried to talk him down. "Okay boy, easy..!"

As smoke flared from his nostrils, he started to ready a fireball until Miss Grimwood came in. "Matches! No setting the guests on fire!" The dragon immediately settled down, turning his head quickly to the woman before grumbling and curling back up.

"That's Matches, our pet dragon," Tanis explained, having already seated herself, along with a few others. "Sorry, he's usually quite nice..." Velma took notice that she was seating herself right next to Shaggy, with Scooby moving over to where Matches was, sitting right next to him. Surprisingly, the dragon didn't seem to care, giving a little grumble as a sort of greeting to the familiar dog. Scooby, in return, smiled in a friendly way before awaiting for food.

The smell of something cooking was in the air, although none of the humans could really guess what it was. As everybody took a seat, it was pretty predictable how it went. Freddie, Googie, Velma, and Daphne were seated to the left, in a sort of square, the ghouls on the right. Shaggy seemed to be the intermediary, sitting between the two groups. That didn't seem to stop Winnie from sitting across Shaggy, in between Sibella and Googie, who was eyeing her carefully. The werewolf didn't seem to notice. Once it looked like everyone was ready, Miss Grimwood began to serve dinner.

Along with Miss Grimwood, a single, floating white hand would help serve bowls of some sort of stew to everyone. Naturally, the hand put off the humans a tad, although once they were served, they began to examine the food served. Inside, the stew seemed normal. Brown broth, various items swimming in it. So far, the large bone floating inside would be a red flag, though it was known for some people to throw bones in soups and stews for flavor. Naturally, it didn't take long before Winnie was stirring the stew with it, gnawing on one end of the bone. All of the other ghouls had began eating the stew regularly, Shaggy not hesitating to join in as well. Scooby was also heartily slurping from his own portion.

Freddie, seeing his friend start to eat it, shrugged and took a spoon, helping himself to his serving. Googie and Daphne cautiously joined in, Velma starting to examine the stew for herself. With an eyebrow raised, she began to wonder if the vegetables in it looked... dead. Or at the very least rotten. While it certainly didn't smell awful, it was still best to be wary. Before Velma could ask the question in her mind, Shaggy seemed to do it for her, having already finished off half of his own bowl.

"Like, Miss Grimwood, this stuff is amazing! What's in it?" He asked before continuing to eat.

With a small smile, she took another bit of her own stew before answering. "It's a recipe I always serve on the first night back. 'Spider Leech Stew', with vegetables from our garden." She answered simply.

While the ghouls (and Scooby) kept eating the meal, the others seemed to slow down or stop. Shaggy was taken by surprise, staring into his bowl, eyes wide at the realization at what he was eating. Unable to help himself, however, he took another bite. He did say it was good, after all. Freddie slowed down as well, finding himself agreeing with Shaggy. It  _did_  taste good, that's for sure. For the rest of his meal, however, he seemed to be fishing out vegetables that looked the least rotten, avoiding the chunks of 'meat'. Daphne's eyes widened as she finished up her bite and gently pushed her bowl away.

"Erm, very lovely, but I ate before I got here..." Daphne said, quickly moving her bowl over to Scooby, who eagerly began seconds. To him, it was just more food. Odd food, but good food. Googie, predictably, looked like she was about to vomit, her spoon clattering as it hit against the bowl.

"Hey are you okay?" Winnie asked in between gnaws of her bone.

"Yeah, I just remembered I'm on a diet..." Googie gagged, quickly pushing her portion away as well.

As for Velma, she began to analyze the stew a bit more, curious about the cuisine. She eyed a brown piece of carrot, holding it up some. "I think you may have picked a few veggies past their prime."

At this point, Elsa turned, leaning forward to better talk to her. "She always makes sure to pick those ones. After all, they provide a better flavor for the spider meat, in my opinion," She replied, taking another bite from her bowl. With a nod and a small grimace, Velma slowly lowered her spoon back into the bowl.

"I see..." Velma decided to get her mind off of her strange meal by finding a topic of conversation. A couple of thoughts were prevalent in her mind, one of which wondering why and  _how_  a ghost was eating. She chose to skip that question until another time, instead asking a different question, directed towards the headmistress. "So, Miss Grimwood, you said something about a witch earlier?"

Any loose conversations that were going on quieted up a little as Velma asked her query. While it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, it was enough to make the girl wonder if she shouldn't have asked that. However, Miss Grimwood didn't seem to really care, taking time to answer her. "Oh yes. The year Shaggy taught us last, a mean witch took all of my ghouls under her control. Shaggy and Scooby were brave enough to venture into her castle and retrieve them, with the help of the Cadets."

Velma certainly would've liked a little more information than that, but instead, she seemed to ponder a little. "Jinkies... our Shaggy braving a place like that?" She said aloud. This time, Sibella replied to her.

"A very heroic deed, for sure," The vampire answered politely, taking another sip of her stew before turning to the bookworm. "A real shame he didn't stay longer, but I guess the new students did terrify him a little too badly." She ended her sentence with a small giggle, flashing a grin the hungry coward before returning to her meal.

"There are more students here?" Daphne cut in, curious as to if they'd be meeting any more students. At this point, everyone stiffened a little, feeling a bit awkward. Miss Grimwood answered again.

"We  _used_  to. As Shaggy and Scooby left, we did take in three new students. However, the aliens couldn't adapt too well with Earth's atmosphere and had to return to where they came. Godzina turned out to hit her growth spurts  _quite_  rapidly. And as for Goonie, well... her and her father had to quickly move away after she attacked someone. I don't believe it was fatal, but still left an impact on the poor victim, from what I heard."

At this point, the members of Mystery Inc. shared a surprised, yet knowing, glance between each other. They had a general idea as to who the victim was. Before anyone could say anything else, Elsa decided to speak up again. "It's not too surprising. They weren't too big a fan of... the new coach." She ended simply, moving her gaze over to Winnie, who looked noticeably agitated upon the mention of whoever this coach was.

"Yeah... workin' us until we could barely move, strict as anything, and annoyin'! I'd rather shave myself bald than have to work out with Colonel Cun-"

Sibella cleared her throat loudly, quickly cutting off whatever curse she was about to swear, Miss Grimwood giving a warning glare at the werewolf. She grumbled and quickly began to stuff her face with stew once again. At that moment, Phantasma began to laugh a little, perking up some. "But hey, we don't have to worry about that anymore! After all, Coach Shaggy's back!"

The lanky man froze a bit, eyes widened as the other humans looked between each other. From the way the other ghouls looked appreciative of the phantom's comment, it was quite obvious they expected him to resume his old, if short lived, position. After a few second of Shaggy saying nothing, Tanis spoke up, looking up at him expectantly. "...you  _are_  going to teach us again, right..?"

Shaggy lowered his spoon, looking between the two groups. To his right, five monster girls looked at him, smiling gently and awaiting his answer. To his left, his friends were also watching him, a bit curious, also wondering what he would say. Scooby lowered himself, trying to hide himself from view, not knowing what he was going to say either. After a bit, he cleared his throat and looked to Tanis, giving a nervous smile. "Uh... like, we'll see. I'm definitely going to consider it, but like, I may need a bit of time to mull it over," He replied.

He had no idea if that was the right answer or not, but he knew that he wouldn't mind teaching the girls again. They were nice and quite fun to teach. On the other hand, he knew that he couldn't abandon his friends for a year again. Besides, he knew that they were there for a reason. A terrifying reason, but one that he knew his friends needed help with. He figured he could consult with them to see what they would say about it. Currently, the girls had taken to whispering among themselves, somewhat excited about the idea of having their favorite coach return. The others looked unsure, not knowing what to really do either.

After some time, Miss Grimwood took notice that everyone was done with dinner. She stood up and got everyone's attention with a clap of her hands. "Well, I'll discuss this manner with Shaggy in private. For now, all of you girls go ahead and get some rest. Classes begin tomorrow, after all." The ghouls began to stand and move in various directions. Sibella and Winnie went upstairs, Tanis moving downstairs. Elsa appeared to go into a different room entirely, and Phanty simply phased through the ceiling, up to the next floor without using stairs. This left only Miss Grimwood, the rest of the humans, Scooby, and a sleeping Matches.

After a bit of silence, Fred spoke to Shaggy. "So, Shags, what's it gonna be?" He didn't seem to ask this in any sort of accusatory tone, merely a curious one.

Shaggy rubbed the back of his head, feeling somewhat guilty. "Like, I dunno, man. On one hand, I don't want to let down your students. But like, on the other... we are here to investigate, right?" He said, directing his last question towards his cohorts.

Before anyone could answer, Miss Grimwood spoke up again. "Investigating? May I ask what?"

Velma decided to answer this time. "Well, there was a recent attack on someone from the nearby town. We were going to look into what caused it."

Miss Grimwood raised her eyebrows, an unreadable look on her face. "So you decided to come here?"

"Well, we got some advice from someone working on the case. He said to come check this place out," Freddie answered.

"Him and the locals are claiming that whatever attacked the victim wasn't human... or animal for that matter." Daphne finished, rubbing her arm a bit. She didn't want to act like she was blaming Miss Grimwood or her students. They all acted and felt too nice to do something like that.

"Hm," Miss Grimwood replied simply, her own thoughts moving around in her brain. "I guess I don't blame you for coming here." She sat up a bit straighter, her voice having a bit of a thoughtful tone. "However, I don't think it's fair to let down my students, so if I may propose a compromise?"

The others looked to each other, giving silent confirmation before turning back to the older woman. Googie rubbed her arm, feeling... awkward. She wasn't really a part of the team, and she wasn't even saying anything on the matter. She wanted to say more, but didn't really know if she had the obligation to.

Once everyone was prepared for her explanation, Miss Grimwood grinned and continued. "I propose that in return for another year of tenure, I'll allow you to stay as long as you need to. You'll be free to investigate as long as you need. I have spare rooms, so you don't have to worry about sleeping in your van, or some motel." She began to reach into her pocket, pulling out a scroll and moving her free hand to the side, leaving it open. Soon, the floating hand dropped off a plain feather, already having been dipped in ink. "My only conditions are that you don't harm my students, and that  _Coach_  Shaggy stays on campus. What do you all say?"

Another round of looking between other occurred. As Miss Grimwood waited patiently for Shaggy's answer, Velma spoke up first. "Well, in my opinion, that's a really good compromise."

"What if we don't find the answers we're looking for?" Freddie asked, not sure if he was willing to sleep in a creepy place.

"It'll be a learning experience, either way. Imagine, getting to know actual monsters and how they live and act firsthand!" She continued, a little excited at the prospect.

"Besides, it's not like they're mean. I think it could be kinda fun," Daphne said, smiling gently.

"Well... that makes sense, I guess." Freddie grinned at Shaggy, as if giving him permission.

Everyone took a glance at Googie, who had a stumped look on her face. Why were they expecting  _her_  to answer? It took her off guard, but after a little, she got the courage to speak. "...I mean, if he wants to, I can't stop him," She replied, feeling dumb. "Wouldn't hurt to explore a bit more too, I suppose," She trailed off, not knowing if she meant what she said.

In that moment, Scooby propped himself up, smiling and giving an 'okay' sign with his paw. With a smile that grew wider, he gently accepted the quill and nodded. "Like, you got yourself a deal, Miss G," He replied, signing his name on the scroll.

Miss Grimwood beamed as he finished up, quickly rolling the scroll and tucking it away. "Excellent! Now, all of you should get some sleep to. Gym is the first class of the day, and they'll be expecting you outside near the graveyards," She said, directing the last point to Shaggy. He gave a nod and began to stand up.

"Like, sounds good with me. C'mon guys, let's hit they hay," He stated simply. Soon, everyone else got up, the octopus butler from before standing at the doorway.

"Take them to their rooms, please," The woman requested gently, waving a hand. With a slight bow, the octo-butler did just that, leading them upstairs.

A quick flash of blue quickly swooped back up into the ceiling, an excited face on the specter who was watching the entire exchange. She was laughing, although trying to be a bit quieter than usual as to not give away that she was eavesdropping. Phanty was, however, pumping her fist up and down repeatedly and vigorously, as if in victory. "Yessss!" She squealed as quietly as possible (which was more like a loud whisper).

In a room close by, a certain werewolf was doing the exact same thing, fist pumping in the air as her tail went nuts behind her. Winnie had cracked her door open a little, moving her ear towards it to listen in. Her superior hearing managed to take in most of the conversation, letting her know that Shaggy would indeed return to be their coach, and  _not_ that stuck up, anal, slave-driving Colonel.

It was already turning out to be an interesting year, that's for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Another chapter done! Is it odd that I feel like I should make these chapters longer than I usually do? Maybe it's something I'll consider in the future. At any rate, I hope you all enjoy, and I'm glad to see more and more people are reading this! Thanks to everyone for being patient with me! I'll be sure to update more in the future when I can, as well as answer any questions I see. For now, thanks for reading and I do hope you enjoy!


	6. The Swing of Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ghouls start their first day of classes while Mystery Inc. observes and gets to know everyone.

**Scooby Doo: Monster Menagerie**

**Chapter 6: The Swing of Things**

The rooms that the investigators slept in were decorated as well as the rest of the school. Cobwebs took up most of the space in each corner, from the ceiling down to the floorboards. The furniture, while minimal, still appeared antique and worn down. Both rooms consisted of three beds, an old wooden dresser, a matching wardrobe, a large mirror, and thankfully, a bathroom off to the side with a working toilet and shower. Whether or not the shower could run hot water was something they would have to figure out on their own in the morning.

As for the beds themselves, they didn't look too filthy, even if the sheets looked somewhat tattered and worn. Scooby, Shaggy, and Freddie took one of the rooms while Daphne, Velma, and Googie went in the other. On the same floor as their rooms were also three other bedrooms. In each of these, Sibella, Winnie, and Phantasma would reside. Since they had lived in the school for quite awhile, they had their own types of decorations and design choices. As for Elsa and Tanis, their rooms were downstairs. Elsa was allowed to sleep in the school lab, since that's where she spends the most time anyways. Tanis's room was in a basement of sorts, filled with sand and various small treasures, the walls covered in stone hieroglyphics. She still slept in the same giant gold sarcophagus, naturally.

The guys were looking around their room a bit, Freddie looking somewhat confused. Shaggy and Scooby didn't seem too bothered by it, as Shaggy began to change into pajamas, moving his stuff off the bed and acting as if they were right at home. "So, like, what do you think of this place so far?" Shaggy asked his friend, Scooby already nestling himself into a bed.

With a single finger, Freddie wiped a bit of dust from the nearby wardrobe, rubbing it against his thumb some. "Well... I've stayed in worse motel rooms, that's for sure," He joked, turning around. "To be honest though, I'm surprised you and Scoob stayed long enough in this place. I figured you would've run out the moment you found out who you were going to teach!"

Shaggy gave a small laugh, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "Like, we almost did. If it weren't for the fact that we were under contract, like, we would've gone back with you guys almost immediately."

Freddie gave a small chuckle too, starting to change into his pajamas as well. "Well lucky for Miss Grimwood then, huh?"

"Like, I suppose," Shaggy replied. "To be honest though, I always wondered if I even did that great a job. Like, I know we won the volleyball game and we helped stop that witch, but... I dunno, like, I feel like I probably could've done a bit more as a coach, y'know?"

"I think it's normal to think you could do more than you did," Freddie responded, sitting on his own bed, facing his lanky friend. "But from what it sounds like, the girls really look up to you. They wouldn't do that unless they had a good reason to." Shaggy looked a bit thoughtful, looking to his lap a bit. When it was apparent he wasn't going to say anything, Freddie continued on. "I think you left a much bigger impact on them than you imagine. Despite the fact that it felt like nothing to you, it meant everything to them. After all, if you could never forget, how could they?"

Shaggy glanced up, smiling a little. He didn't directly answer his question, but the look on his face let the blond know everything he needed. "Hey, Freddie, like thanks..."

His friend gave a wide grin and a smile. "You'll do a great job this year, Shag, I know it." At this point, he began to lay down, stretching his arms a bit. "Now you got a class to teach tomorrow. Let's get some shut-eye."

Shaggy responded by nodding and yawning loudly, making himself cozy in his own bed. "Like, you got a point. G'night, Freddie, night Scoob."

"Rood right..." Scooby yawned, already having tucked himself into bed.

"Night guys," Freddie ended, closing his eyes. Tomorrow he'd get to see his friend as a coach. It was weird to think about, but also very exciting in a sense.

* * *

 

"...do you think anyone died sleeping in these beds?" Asked a nervous Googie, looking around at the old looking beds and somewhat dusty furniture. Daphne flashed a look at her as she was setting her stuff down from the bed.

"Don't say stuff like that, I'll get nightmares!" She replied, looking under the sheets with Velma. The brown haired girl had one eye shut, face close to the mattress as she felt around on it.

"Hm... doesn't look like there's anything particularly wrong with the beds themselves. No odd stains, no bugs, nothing out of the ordinary." She took a quick look around the room, standing straight up. "...well, relatively, that is."

Googie shuddered, sitting herself on a nearby bed. "That's good, at least. I don't know how well I'll be able to sleep anyways. An old creaky house filled with monsters isn't exactly a vacation home, y'know?"

"They don't seem like the type to attack anyone for no reason," Daphne began, also sitting on her bed. "Besides, if they're willing to be this friendly to Shaggy, I don't doubt that they'll be equally as nice to us."

The blonde girl rubbed her arm a little, feeling somewhat guilty on judging these girls a bit too quickly. Still, though, it was something she would have to get used to. She had her experience with monsters before, and it wasn't too pleasant, if her and Shaggy's story was anything to go by. Daphne did have a good point, though. None of the girls seem malicious. Maybe a bit mischievous, but nothing that would seem like they would attack anyone at random.

"...yeah, I guess you're right," Googie finally responded, laying out on the bed, merely relaxing for the time being. "It's still pretty strange though. Maybe I'll get adjusted to it quickly like you guys have."

"Hopefully," Velma added in optimistically. "When you're on the road as often as we are, looking into spooky stuff like this, it almost becomes second nature to get used to it fairly quickly. Especially when you have a feeling that whatever you're chasing after isn't really an evil undead clown from beyond the grave." After a little bit of a laugh from the others, Velma continued, thinking a bit more. "Still, it's very fascinating that these kinds of monsters  _are_  real. What's even more strange is that it seems like not a lot of people know about it."

Googie thought for a little. It did seem odd she had never heard of this place despite living so close to it. No one else in her town seemed to talk about it, either. It wasn't until then that a thought hit her. "Maybe they do."

The other two girls looked to her, confused, yet intrigued with what she had said. She began to sit up, continuing her train of thought. "I mean, it's really strange that I haven't heard anyone in my town even mention a second school out in this area," She mused.

Daphne and Velma looked to each other, also beginning to ponder about this. "Hm... remember at the police station?" Velma asked suddenly. "The deputy wasn't too keen on letting anyone know about this place. If he seemed to know about this place, chances are, some other townsfolk do too, and they're willing to keep this place secret too."

"Maybe because they're scared?" Daphne theorized. "I mean, like you said, Googie, you didn't know about this place either, and we certainly haven't heard of it before. I don't imagine that too many people are comfortable with a monster school in the outskirts of their town."

"They probably are scared. I mean... you know how uncomfortable I am..." Googie added, feeling more and more guilty about her fear.

Daphne gave a gentle, comforting smile to her new friend. "Hey, it's normal to be afraid. We'll all get used to this. None of the girls have tried to kill us yet, and Miss Grimwood is a very nice woman."

"What I want to know," Velma began, still deep in thought. "Is why no one else seems keen on getting close to see how bad this place is for themselves."

Daphne shrugged and merely replied, "Probably just southern racism and paranoia."

"The townsfolk were awfully quick to say the attack was monster related," Googie added in.

There was a small bit of silence as the girls thought to themselves for a little. It's not like there was much else to bring up, anyways. Their theories were quite sound, although they would have to do some old fashioned snooping (or meddling as people often called it) to get their answers. For now, though, they began to get ready for bed. It was too late to be staying up brainstorming ideas as to why people weren't comfortable with a monster school.

* * *

 

Eventually, the loud crowing of some unnatural sounding bird would come screeching across the entire school. Whatever it was, it was most certainly  _not_  a rooster. Still, it would certainly be an indicator of the fact that morning has arrived. Even if, outside, the sky was still quite dark with heavy clouds overcasting the entire sky above. The threat of rain was imminent, but nonetheless, the gang began to get up, starting to get ready. It would take a little while, mostly due to the fact that in each bedroom, there would only be one shower, so everyone would have to wait their turn. Despite the fact the guys took less time with their showering process, there was still one issue that needed to be addressed...

"C'mon, Scoob, up and at 'em! Today's our first day back as coaches!" Shaggy said to the sleeping Dane, who was curled up on his blankets, not budging from his spot. After Scooby let out a small snort, unaffected by Shaggy's shaking, Freddie decided to give it a try.

"Scooby, wake up! The girls are expecting us." Nothing. The dog merely let out a low grumble and turned around, not wanting to be disturbed. The two men looked to each other and shrugged, both having the same idea. That idea was to grip the blankets under the sleeping Scooby and try to pull it out from under him. The dog was quite heavy, however, neither one of them able to yank him out.

"Jeez, how much does he  _weigh_?" Freddie grunted.

"Like, I dunno..! At least a metric ton of Scooby Snacks..!" Shaggy replied. Upon the mention of 'Scooby Snacks', the dog quickly lifted his head up.

"Rooby Racks?!" In an instant, the dog had pushed off the bed, jumping onto the floor and started sniffing around for dog treats. Of course, due to the fact that Shaggy and Freddie were now pulling on practically nothing, the both of them fell backwards, landing with a yelp on their backsides as the blanket they gripped fluttered over their faces. The large dog made his way over to the two guys, pulling the blanket off of them, revealing their unamused faces. Naturally, Scooby reacted by letting out a bit of a snicker, tossing the blanket off of them.

"Thanks," Freddie replied sardonically, getting up to his feet with Shaggy.

"Okay, like, enough clowning around, guys. It's time for breakfast," The lanky foodie said, heading to the door with the other two.

"Roh boy, reakfast!" The hungry dog replied, licking at his chops as they stepped out into the hall. Daphne, Velma, and Googie were all waiting for them, turning as they stepped out from their room. They all gave a wave to each other.

"Morning, guys. What was all that thumping about?" Daphne asked, tilting her head. Apparently, the noise they were making was audible from the opposite room.

"Like, sorry about that. Scoob didn't feel like getting up this morning," Shaggy replied, getting a quick gaze at his yawning friend.

"I understand how he feels," Googie replied, yawning a little herself. "I don't miss the days I had to wake up early for school."

"Well, let's not hang around here much longer. Don't want to keep Miss Grimwood and the girls waiting," Freddie replied, starting to head downstairs, the others soon following. Since they didn't hear any noises from the neighboring rooms, they assumed that the others had already gotten ready and were waiting downstairs in the dining room.

Sure enough, when the group of six went downstairs, they were greeted by Miss Grimwood, already setting out plates of... some sort of thing that was hopefully edible. Matches ate from his own plate on the ground as the ghouls sat at the table, turning to the human group. All of the girls seemed quite happy, Shaggy being the first to greet them all.

"Like, good morning, girls!"

"Good morning... coach," Sibella purred happily, giving a bit of a laugh as the other girls joined in. Of course, this didn't seem to surprise anyone as they all began to take their seats. Like last time, they sat in the same spots, but they seemed to be a bit more comfortable.

"News travels fast, I guess," Velma said happily, looking over her plate with everyone else. Well, that is except for Shaggy and Scooby, who immediately began to stuff their faces. On the plate looked like two regular cuts of raisin toast, covered in butter. On the side seemed to be fresh oranges and some grapes with milk that was fortunately not spoiled.

"I understand that human beings aren't too accustomed to monster cuisine, so I thought I'd make something a bit more akin to your tastes," Miss Grimwood began, smiling happily between everyone. "It's a good thing I planned ahead and harvested some fresh items from our garden before I let them get too ripe."

Of course, while the humans gratefuly ate their breakfast, the girls seemed more content with getting through breakfast as quick as possible. They chattered to each other excitedly, quite glad to have their old gym teacher back to train them. Tanis beamed happily as she munched on a rotten apple while Elsa did the same, asking Shaggy about what they'd be doing.

"Like, nothing too much for the first day. I'm planning on having us meet outside so we can do a bit of warm ups, laps, and general work out stuff," He said in between mouthfuls, already going through his third helping. Miss Grimwood didn't seem to mind that, however.

Phantasma hadn't bothered too much with eating, as she was too busy giggling to herself, eyeing everyone, looking a bit impatient. "C'mon, girls, hurry!" Velma took a mental note to ask Phanty about how a ghost's anatomy (or lack thereof) worked.

Winnie seemed to be quite eager to hurry as well, as she was wolfing down (heh) her food with gusto. Sibella hid her excitement for the most part, although she was smiling quite a bit as she bit into a hard looking crab apple, quickly sucking up whatever sour juices were inside.

Naturally, it wouldn't take long for everyone to be finished with their food, the ghouls quickly hurrying outside. Miss Grimwood blinked and laughed to herself. "Well, that's the most energy I've seen them have for physical education in a long time! You better, Coach. I don't imagine they want to be kept waiting."

After shoveling in his fifth and last piece of toast, he nodded to her and got up, everyone following suit. "Like, let's get this class started then!" Scooby was soon by his side, trotting along happily. He was quite eager to be back in a teaching role as well. The rest of Mystery Inc. followed him so they could see just how good of a teacher he'd be. They noticed that Shaggy had already dressed himself in fitting clothing, which would be shorts, a tank top, and running shoes. The others also seemed to be wearing shorts, mostly due to the humid weather that the south tended to have.

Once outside, the group stayed behind a bit, watching from a distance as Shaggy and Scooby made their way to the line of ghoul girls. Shaggy noticed that they all seemed to have lined up based on height. On the far right, Elsa stood, being the tallest out of all of them (even if you didn't include her standing black and white hair). Sibella was next, along with Phanty, who was standing on her two feet instead of floating in place. Then came Winnie, and finally Tanis. While the mummy girl was the shortest, it seemed she was catching up with the werewolf quite a bit, only being about half a foot shorter.

Despite the fact none of them really had any sort of gym clothing, they all looked willing and ready to go. Shaggy cleared his throat and grinned widely after looking between each of them. "Okay, like, good morning girls!" After a small chorus of 'Good morning, Coach!', Shaggy continued on. "Since this is, like, your first day back, we're gonna, like, keep things nice and simple. To start off, we're going to begin with some simple stretches so none of us strain any muscles." The rest of Mystery Inc., while not in line with the girls, watched his class go on, fascinated with what was going on. It was a rare sight to see Shaggy  _not_  be afraid of real monsters.

"First, like, stretch one arm across your chest, holding it there with your other arm for a few seconds," Shaggy said, demonstrating his stretch by pulling his arm over his chest, keeping it in place with his other arm below the elbow. The girls and Scooby soon followed along, switching arms once he told them to. It was also to be noted that Freddie had also joined in, Daphne giving an amused grin, raising her eyebrow. To reply he merely shrugged.

"Might as well, right? Could do us some good to follow along!" With a quick glance between each other, the girls soon joined in. When in Rome, and all that, right?

After stretching their arms, Shaggy held his foot up behind himself, gripping his ankle with a hand to stretch out his legs. Everyone followed suit, although a couple did seem off balance. The lanky coach soon went over to help out, keeping both Tanis and Phanty balanced by showing them the proper way to hold themselves. Soon after, they switched ankles, holding the pose again for a few seconds.

Then they were told to touch their toes. It seemed natural that only Winnie would actually be able to, already being an energetic animal. On the human's end, it seemed only Daphne could do so. Karate classes really seemed to help her be quite flexible. Of course, Shaggy didn't hesitate to go over and give tips on how to help. With his hand gently on their backs, in between their shoulder blades, he'd show how to not strain themselves in touching their toes. "Of course, like, don't feel bad if you still can't get it. Just go as far as you can and don't, like, strain yourselves," He added in an encouraging tone, letting them all stand straight again.

The class would continue on with a few more stretches before Shaggy decided to start with basic exercises. "Like, we'll start off small, and we can work our way up to higher reps. The most important thing is to keep your pace up," Shaggy explained, having everyone start with jumping jacks. It wasn't too difficult, though Tanis's bandages did come a bit loose. Once they finished up, she quickly adjusted them as if nothing had happened. Next were push-ups, which Elsa and Winnie were great at. However, once they started lunges, Elsa had noticeable trouble with it. Each time she tried to bend a knee, she would let out a grunt in pain.

"Sorry, Coach, I don't think my knees bend that well," She groaned, slightly disappointed in herself. Shaggy wouldn't have any of her sadness and gently patted her on the back.

"Like, don't worry about it. We'll work on it. For now, go as far as you can before it hurts, you're doing great, Elsa." With a small smile, she nodded and continued. While she would barely bend her stiff joints, she still kept up with the others at that point on.

Their workout would go on for a little bit before Shaggy finally had all of them follow him around, going for a jog around the entire school. Naturally, Scooby ran by his side with the girls and the rest of the gang doing their best to keep up. Shaggy was quite fast, even when he wasn't going at full speed. The gang also took notes as to how the girls seemed to keep up. It wasn't much of a surprise to see the werewolf manage to keep up, even as she was running on all fours, right by Shaggy's side. Sibella wasn't too far behind, her speed not hindering her gracefulness as she took long strides in the air. Elsa would be keeping up by her side, her own strides quite powerful, if only due to her very muscular legs. Despite the fact her legs moved like a train, her arms stayed pinned to her side, almost casually. Phantasma seemed to be doing well too, if for the fact that she was floating, rather than actually running. Not surprising, since she was a phantom, after all. As for Tanis, she seemed to be doing her best to keep up. She was right behind Phanty, her legs doing their best to make sure she wasn't left behind, her bandages fluttering behind her some.

As for the humans, they seemed to hold up pretty well, especially Freddie. After all, he wasn't in too bad of a shape either. Daphne kept up with him, while Googie ran with Velma. While Googie could easily pass up the other two (she didn't become a cheerleader for no reason, after all), she decided to stick next to Velma, who didn't feel comfortable with leaving her behind.

The lap around the school would prove to be much longer than anticipated, as most of Mystery Incorporated seemed to be quite winded, resting against their knees. Shaggy, puffed a bit as well, resting his hands behind the back of his head as he turned to his class. "Alright, gang, let's rest a little bit and, like, we'll finish up!" Winnie was against her knees as well, panting a bit. From the looks of it, the run wasn't too bad, although from how she sounded, she definitely could use work on stamina. Sibella breathed heavily as well, trying to keep a somewhat noble composure. Elsa was bent over some, rubbing her calves. Tanis was doing Shaggy's move, hands behind her head, albeit she was panting quite heavily as well. As for Phanty, well... it was hard to describe. She was definitely panting like she was out of breath, even if it didn't seem like she was doing a lot. She did laugh a bit though, eyes shut tight as a hand rubbed at her forehead some.

"Haha..! That was fun, Coach! Oof... ehehe! What next?" The phantom giggled, acting as though she had a headache. Velma would take this moment, despite being quite winded, to walk over to the ghost.

"Uh, hey Phanty... phew... can I ask something real fast?" Velma began, trying to pace her breathing some.

"Sure thing, Velmy!" The ghost eagerly said, turning to face the bookworm. It was a bit odd how eager she was to give a sort of nickname, but she didn't seem to really mind.

Instead, Velma asked, "If you don't mind me asking, why does a ghost need physical education?"

"Oooh great question!" Phanty giggled loudly, clearing her throat in an overdramatic tone. "Since I'm a phantom, I move and touch by my own will! This means that I have to concentrate on my actions a lot, some more than others. Merely moving around has become second nature to me that I barely have to do anything! For some things, like moving objects and exerting my body in different manners, I have to think a bit harder on things like that!" The ghost was quite cheerful in explaining this, Velma nodding with her chin in her hand, studying the translucent blue girl.

"I see..." She decided against asking how the ghost actually... passed, thinking it may overstep boundaries a bit. Instead, she chose to ask, "What about eating?"

The girl gave a raspberry, waving her hand casually. "Oh,  _pbbfft_ , I don't actually have to eat anything. I choose to, because I looooove Miss Grimwood's cooking!" Velma merely nodded, not having much else to ask at this point. Afterwards, Shaggy had everyone finish up with a few stretches and deep breathing exercises before he ended their session.

"Like, great job everyone! Tomorrow, I'll see about getting us some time to, like, train for the volleyball match," He explained, leading everyone back inside the large building. Everyone was a bit exhausted, but had gotten over it somewhat as they all headed back inside.

Miss Grimwood would be waiting for everyone, leading them towards the laboratory. "Okay girls, next up is Mad Science!" Elsa seemed to give a big grin, the other students also quite excited. Much like this class, she allowed the humans to observe the class and watch what it was all about. Of course, none were so excited about it as much as Velma was. An opportunity to get a free science lesson? Who wouldn't take this offer?

As they moved into the lab, a flash of lightning would flash, a low rumbling of thunder soon following. "Looks like you finished your class just in time, Shaggy," Miss Grimwood began smiling a bit. "Sounds like a storm's starting up."

"Yeah, wouldn't wanna be struck by lightning," Googie replied in an offhand manner. Elsa peeked back, giving a sheepish grin and a shrug.

"Pity, I wouldn't mind." Googie blinked and slowed her descent into the creepy looking lab. Figures the Frankenstein-esque monster girl wouldn't mind lightning. The inside of the lab was very dark, illuminated by various gadgets, powered by lightning. Torches covered the walls, tables set up with cauldrons, beakers, and other laboratory equipment, laid out on the floor. On the left of a room, there were five desks set up in front of a simple looking blackboard.

Miss Grimwood allowed Mystery Inc. to use the desks, as the ghouls would be using the tables and the equipment first. As all the girls put on safety goggles and gloves, Velma grinned, watching with enthusiasm as she sat in the middle row. This was certainly going to be fascinating.

* * *

 

The deputy rolled along carefully in his car. The sirens remained off, as there was not an emergency he needed to be driving to, as well as to not draw attention to himself. His eyes were wide open as they scanned the road in caution. In his mind, a conversation that was held a few minutes ago played in his head.

The deputy stood in front of a fellow officer, talking with him about their current case. With a subtle motion with his head, the officer would jerk it towards a locked office. The blinds would be closed, the name scratched out with black marker. "So, has he come up with anythin' yet?" The officer would ask simply, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against an empty desk.

"Not yet," The deputy would reply, rubbing his chin a bit. "Well I mean, nothin' that'd make too much sense to us, anyways."

The officer would response with a chuckle, shaking his head. "When does that freak  _ever_  make sense, deputy?" The deputy seemed to smirk solemnly at his joke, taking a quick glance over at him.

"All I can tell ya is he's on some sort of trail. Not sure where it's leadin', though. Only time will tell that."

"Hope ya ain't waitin' too long. A man's died and the victim's family is worried. I doubt they're gonna be willing to listen to a weirdo talk about swamp monsters and other spooks," The officer said, sighing and shaking his head.

The deputy heaved out a heavy sigh, looking at the door of the locked door. "As much as I hate to say it, his knowledge may be needed for a case like this."

The officer cocked an eyebrow, frowning a bit in response. "Ya don't think that school has somethin' to do with it, do ya?"

With a gaze back at the officer, the older deputy merely shrugged. "At this point, I'd say the only person willing to find out is him." He said, pointing a thumb towards the office. In that instance, the door slowly creaked open, making the two turn their head at it. They steeled their nerves for what the person behind the door would say.

That was how the deputy found himself driving in the forest, a passenger in the back seat remaining dead silent. Not that he minded too much. Any conversation would distract him from navigating the shoulderless trail. It wasn't any fun driving in this type of environment, the threat of a storm brewing above. When the forest seemed to open up a little bit, he slowed the car down to a halt. A feeling of dread slowly creeped up his spine into his consciousness.

"I don't trust goin' much farther than this," The deputy said, breaking the silence. "If anythin', this can wait until tomorrow, when the weather clears up." His advice was cut off by the sound of a seatbelt clicking and removing itself from the passenger, the door opening.

The deputy turned his head and watched as the man quietly left the car without a word, carrying a tote bag with him in tow. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it, merely shaking his head in indignation. He kept his eyes on his ex-passenger as he limped slowly and quietly off into the clearing, further and further away from the car.

With another shake of his head, the deputy sighed and began to turn his car back around, heading back to the station. The name of the destination the passenger requested still stuck with him. It was ever-so familiar, forced to be forgotten out of fear. Yet it came ringing in his head.

"Grimwood..." He mumbled to himself, slowly navigating through the woods once more.

* * *

 

Hours had passed since the Mad Science class had began. Miss Grimwood taught her students about various potions, letting them use knowledge from previous classes they had taken. It was quite interesting for the humans to watch as various colors, fumes, and sparks filled the air. It would come to no one's surprise that Velma was utterly enjoying herself. Elsa, of course, was a natural, although all of them looked like they knew what they were doing. An interesting event would occur when a drop of Phantasma's potion dribbled from her cauldron and onto the ground below, quickly sporting a large bouquet of nightshade flowers, which were collected by Miss Grimwood.

After the fun class of Mad Science, Miss Grimwood politely requested that Mystery Inc. move to the other side, as the next class would be math. The girls took their seats and allowed their lessons to continue. Unfortunately, monster math was just as dull as any other. The ghouls, for the most part, paid attention. The sole exception was Winnie, who slumped forward in her seat, eyes glossed over, as it appeared she had trouble staying awake. While the other girls weren't too enthusiastic about math, Sibella sat up straight, deeply invested. It should have come as no surprise, since vampires were known for being exceptional at counting, and by extension, arithmetic. Velma became noticeably, less interested (if for the fact that there was nothing she didn't already know), but still watched. As for everyone else, it wasn't long before they began to doze off.

After class concluded, Miss Grimwood took notice of the sleeping observers, Shaggy and Scooby snoring some. With a mischievous grin, she took a single finger and scraped her fingernail across the blackboard. The cacophonous screeching noise quickly woke everyone up, pushing their palms against their ears to try and hide from the noise. Winnie made sure to do the same beforehand, since her hearing was more sensitive.

Thankfully, by that time, it was lunch. As they all filed into the dining area, thunder continued to rumble lightly, small flashes of lightning flashing in the clouds. Miss Grimwood prepared everyone finger sandwiches, which were actually quite delicious. It wouldn't take long before Freddie was looking through his portion, hoping to not find any  _actual_  fingers inside.

"Oh don't worry, I made sure to prepare your portions differently," Miss Grimwood reassured, waving a hand as she saw the slightly worried look on Daphne's face. Of course, a quick glance through the sandwich would only reveal tomato, lettuce, and a bit of cucumber. Naturally, Shaggy seemed to eat at least a dozen or so. While the food was indeed good, one thought couldn't help but poke it's way into Googie's head.

' _Does that mean she used real fingers for the ghouls?_ '

She quickly shook her head and ate her sandwich, knowing better than to dwell on that. Throughout lunch, everyone seemed much more comfortable with each other, Velma and Elsa excitedly talking about the science class with each other, while everyone else shared different topics of conversation.

Soon after lunch, Miss Grimwood allowed the girls a free period/study session, letting them go off and study or train whatever they felt like needed to be done.

"Ooh! I'm gonna go practice my song writing!" The bubbly ghost laughed, quickly shooting up through the ceiling. A couple of seconds later, keys of an organ began to play throughout the building. While it would've sounded quite somber and very beautiful, it kept getting cut off here and there, Phanty's manic giggling filling in for the organ.

"I'll be off doing arithmetic problems," Sibella stated simply, heading up the stairs in a graceful manner. The door to her room was soon heard opening and shutting.

"I'm going to go tinker around a little," Elsa said, moving from her seat and heading to the lab. It wouldn't take long before Velma went to her side.

"Oh, okay if I watch? I'd like to see what kind of work you do," The glasses wearing girl said, beaming up. Naturally, the patchwork golem gave a wide grin and nodded.

"Feel free. I could always use some assistance." With that, the two headed off, letting the door to the laboratory close shut.

"I think I'll go brush up on some curses!" Tanis added cheerfully. It was quite a strange thing to hear a young teenage mummy say in such a happy tone, but no one stopped her as she made her way to her room.

" _I'm_  gonna practice my volleyball skills!" Winnie added in, not wanting to waste any time in letting her abilities deteriorate. She looked up at coach, a wide smile showing off her rows of sharp teeth. "Coach, can you come observe my techniques to see if they're up to snuff?"

Shaggy gave a laugh and a nod. "Like, sure thing- woah!" In the moment he said yes, she quickly grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the school. Scooby tilted his head, quickly following his friend.

"Don't be  _too_  rough, okay?" Miss Grimwood called to her, shaking her head with an amused smile. "Rambunctious, that one."

Despite slight concerns arising from letting Shaggy be alone with Winnie or letting Velma be alone with Elsa, the rest of the group headed to a simple living room. Freddie and Daphne decided to pass the time by telling Googie a few more stories about past cases they solved. Even though they were all predictable to conclude, that didn't stop the blonde cheerleader to enjoy listening to them. She found their stories interesting to listen to.

The hour and a half was soon up, Miss Grimwood going upstairs to get Sibella and Phanty. She looked to the other three and smiled. "Would you three gather everyone else up in the lab? There's one more class for them to do."

They all agreed and split up in different directions. Freddie decided to gather up Elsa and Velma, knocking on the door. "Hey girls! Miss Grimwood's gathering everyone here for the next lesson!" Of course, for curiosity's sake, he opened the door and poked his body in some. Inside, he could see Elsa messing with some wiring on a table, Velma studying her as she did. After a bit of fidgeting, the wires sparked and a little line of light bulbs lit up. Elsa and Velma grinned widely and nod at each other.

"Awesome," The glasses wearing girl said. Elsa nodded and moved her goggles off of her face.

"Hopefully this will help add a more reliable light source for everyone here. I just have to work on expanding this out throughout the building," The sewn girl replied, turning her head to the door. "Oh hey, Freddie! We were just finishing up."

"Wow, did you make that on your own?" Freddie replied, leaning against the frame, his smile big and wide as he admired the work done.

Elsa seemed bashful, but smiled nonetheless. "Yup. Took a little while to get all the right components and everything, but I managed to do so."

"That's awesome! I'm somewhat of an engineer myself," He said pridefully. Of course, Velma grinned, rolling her eyes.

"Just be careful when you say the word 'trap' around him," She joked.

"Hey, I don't ramble  _that_  much about them!" Freddie replied indignantly, being met with a small laugh from Elsa and another eye roll from Velma.

* * *

 

Daphne headed outside to get Shaggy, Scooby, and Winnie. She remembered her saying something about training for volleyball, so she knew she didn't have to look for too long. Thankfully, she saw three figures rushing around out near the graveyard. With the dark clouds circling over head, it wouldn't surprise the redhead when she felt a drop of rain hit against her face. She hurried out to where the three were practicing, calling to them. "Hey, Shaggy! Scooby! Winnie! Miss Grimwood says it's time for your next class!"

They stopped and turned to Daphne, the taller one giving an eager wave before racing over, the orange haired werewolf and large brown dog soon running after. Because of the rain coming in, they decided to go inside the school before talking.

"Phew..! Like, what a workout!" Shaggy panted, wiping his head. Up close, she saw that he looked a bit dusty and dirty, his hair an even bigger mess than usual. Winnie looked just about the same, her already wild curls looking even more so as she grinned up at her. Scooby also looked quite dirty, shaking his body to get any loose dust off.

"I'll say. Thanks a ton, Coach!" The girl barked happily, panting some as she walked towards the lab. Daphne turned to Shaggy, a smile evident on her face, an eyebrow raised.

"You look rough," She stated, dusting his shirt off some as he laughed awkwardly, fixing his hair a little.

"Yeah. Like, she's just a big ball of energy! I helped her out with saves and dives. You would not  _believe_  how quickly she learns," He beamed eagerly.

"Rinnie's a ratural!" Scooby proclaimed eagerly, his own tail waggling behind him.

Daphne nodded, giving a somewhat concerned look over him. A few scrapes on his arms seemed to make her wonder about something. "Are you worried that she may... well... be a bit too energetic?"

Scooby and Shaggy tilted their head, confused. "Like, how so? I know she's a bit overenthusiastic, but she only tackled me like, three times." To Daphne, that number seemed a bit too high.

"Miss Grimwood did say she was rambunctious. Are you worried she might injure you?" Daphne continued, walking with the two to the lab.

Shaggy waved his head casually, laughing a bit. "Nah! Like, she'd never think about doing such a thing. Not on purpose anyways."

Daphne shrugged and looked ahead once more. "Whatever you say."

* * *

 

Googie slowly poked her head into the basement, peering around the dark room. "Tanis? It's time for your next class," She called down, slightly nervous. When she heard no response, she sighed, knowing she was going to have to go down. Thankfully, there were stairs, but unfortunately, there wasn't a handrail. Instead, the blond had to push her hand against the wall, slowly descending downwards and letting it guide her.

Quickly, she began to realize the stone tiles soon felt a bit... grainer and older. Googie turned her head and gasped, seeing that the walls were now covered in ancient hierogylphics. She observed them for a little before continuing down. "Tanis? You there?" She called again, slowly losing her nerve. It didn't feel cool, however. Surprisingly, it felt quite warm, as if to match the deserts of Egypt. The sound of sand shifting under her feet let her know she had reached the bottom.

As Googie peered around, she saw small piles of golden treasures scattered about here and there, twinkling slightly from the torches that covered the wall. A large sarcophagus rested against the farthest wall, next to a little display case. In the center of the room, the mummy stood with her back to the cheerleader. Googie remained silent, wondering what she was doing.

For a minute or two, she stood still, as if focusing her mind on something. Suddenly, without warning, her hands would open, the sand stirring and spinning around her feet. The blond could hear her chanting something in a different language, barely audible due to how quiet it was. Googie held her breath, seeing Tanis raise her arms up above her head. All around her, six small pillars of sand raised up with her, quickly contorting and morphing into cobras.

Almost immediately, the all turned to Googie and hissed loudly. This caused her to let out a loud yelp. This must've broke Tanis's concentration, as she quickly turned her head, eyes open and lowering her hands. In doing so, the sand cobras dissolved back into the ground.

"Oh! Sorry for scaring you, Ms Googie!" The little mummy girl apologized, quickly heading over and looking up. "I didn't know you were there," She continued, looking quite shy and guilty.

Googie regained her composure, smiling gently at her and rubbing her head some. "H-hey, don't worry about it. That was some impressive magic, regardless," She said. This perked up the girl, beaming up with her blue eyes.

"Oh thank you! I've been working on that one for awhile now."

The two walked up the stairs, Googie feeling quite comfortable around the adorable mummy girl. "How many types of spells like that do you know?"

"Quite a lot! I still have a ways to go, I think."

"Looks like you're doing an amazing job so far!" Tanis giggled bashfully, blushing through her bandages some. "Anyways, it's time for your class."

"Oh goodie! I love history of monsters!" Tanis exclaimed, picking up the pace a little as she kept moving up the stairs. Googie also hurried, not wanting to be left behind in a dark basement.

* * *

 

Soon, everyone met back up in the laboratory, the ghouls sitting back in their desks. Elsa had put her lights up in a safe spot, so that she could come back to it at a later time. This lesson was quite interesting, as Miss Grimwood began to talk about the history of how curses actually came to be. Monster history was fascinating, especially to the young Tanis. She seemed to know the answer to just about every question that her teacher had for them. Naturally, Velma was quite fascinated with it as well, although the others seemed to like listening to these lessons as well. Knowing more about a different culture first hand is always an experience, after all.

The class would end eventually, Miss Grimwood letting everyone have a bit more free time while she prepared dinner. This time, because of the fact it was raining heavily outside, everyone decided to remain close together, already sitting themselves at the table, even if dinner wasn't ready.

Elsa, Freddie, and Velma happily shared ideas about various gadgets, Velma absorbing the workings of her previous inventions, as well as how the golem's body worked. Elsa didn't seem too disturbed in answering, even if it did squick Freddie out somewhat.

Googie was also fitting in surprisingly well, sitting between Phantasma and Tanis, talking about the various curses and magical monsters that impressed them the most. She also acted as a referee of sorts when they got into a debate over whether or not a nightmare curse should kill someone within the first night or not. While the topic at hand made her uncomfortable to a degree, the two girls were really friendly and nice, and most definitely not the types to just give someone a heart attack. She hoped not, at the very least.

Winnie seemed to be retelling the events of her free period with Shaggy to Daphne and Sibella, going into detail about how she saved every pass with her wolf like agility, adding in her own little sound effects from time to time. She even told about how each time she'd try to spike the ball, she'd overshoot the net and land on the lanky coach. Sibella giggled a bit while Daphne merely smiled a little.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were doing that on purpose," Sibella teased. A small flush of pink covered the werewolf's cheeks, her ears folding back in an annoyed manner.

"Quiet, batsy!" She barked, slightly embarrassed. Shaggy also looked away, smiling awkwardly as Daphne raised an eyebrow. To help break tension, she cleared her throat and sat back down, regaining composure the best she could. "Besides, with techniques like mine, we'll be able to beat those crappy cadets!"

Conversations kept on merrily in the dining area as the smell of something roasted wafted through the air. Miss Grimwood was in the kitchen, keeping an eye on the meat roasting over the fire while Matches made sure to keep a cauldron full of carrots and potatoes at a constant boil.

Everything seemed to be going well enough until a familiar white hand suddenly flew into the kitchen, tapping Miss Grimwood on the shoulder politely. She looked at the hand, raising an eyebrow curiously. As if to answer, the finger pointed fervently to another room. The headmistress stepped away from the meat. "Hm... Matches keep an eye on the alligator, and don't eat it!"

As the stout woman passed through the dining hall, a couple of people turned to her. "Hey, Miss G! Is dinner ready?" Phanty greeted eagerly.

Miss Grimwood shook her head, smiling gently to the ghost. "Not yet, Phantasma. There's someone at the door I have to see."

This seemed to confuse a few, but conversations continued. Daphne turned back to Winnie, but she noticed she hadn't looked back. The werewolf kept her attention to the room Miss Grimwood was headed, eyes narrowed as she focused on... something.

"Hey, Winnie, are you okay?" She asked suddenly, waving her hand near her face. Sibella and Shaggy looked confused at this as well, the others not taking notice at this. Her fur seemed to stand on end a little as she growled gently.

"Something smells off," She rumbled lowly.

"It could be the Colonel again, Winnie," Sibella offered, slightly surprised by how she was acting. Winnie merely shook her head, sniffing a couple more times.

"No... not the Colonel..." She said, keeping her eyes peeled in the next room. Her ears twitched a bit as they picked up minor bits of a conversation being held a few rooms over. She could just barely make out Miss Grimwood's voice, a low mumble of... someone else being barely audible to her.

Shaggy, Daphne, and Sibella shared a concerned look to each other before the woman came back into the room, clearing her throat to get everyone's attention. They all quieted up, looking at her expectantly. Only the group of four in the middle seemed put-off by this, unsure of what was going to happen.

"I hate to interrupt you all, but it seems as if we have another guest," She explained, her voice seeming just slightly unnerved, but not stopping her from acting like a grateful host.

No one knew what she really meant until a new figure stepped in, standing beside Miss Grimwood and dripping a bit onto the hardwood floor. Tension filled the air as Shaggy, Daphne, Velma, Freddie, and Scooby looked quite frightened. The rest were nervous as well, though not as much. Winnie's fur was still stiff as she scanned the body over with her yellow eyes. The figure wore sneakers, jeans, and a dark purple hoodie that was absolutely drenched in rain. His hood was up, shadowing his eyes.

The only part of his face that was visible was his wide, unnatural, grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a lot longer than usual, if only for the fact that school has kept me pretty busy and away from doing any actual writing. Like I said, I'm not abandoning this until I manage to complete it, so don't you all worry! As for the detective, I hope you all don't mind me writing him into the story like this. Original characters are weird and all that, I understand, but I figure as long as I know how to properly write him, it should be fine, right? 
> 
> Anyways, thank you all so so much for your continued support in this story! Reviews are always appreciated, and I'm glad you're all liking this so far. Thanks a lot and I hope you all enjoy!


	7. Investigation Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the detective now joining Mystery Inc's investigation at the school, the research can truly begin.

**Scooby Doo: Monster Menagerie**

**Chapter 7: Investigation Party**

The emotion that seemed to run the highest was unease. It was hard to not have such a feeling when someone looks as menacing as the detective does. The freaky man pulled back his damp hood, having been caught in the middle of the rainstorm on his way to the school. As his face was revealed better, his long bushy hair spilled free. Despite his long hair almost covering his eyes, they were still quite visible to all, looking just as unhinged as they were when Mystery Inc. first saw him. They were still just as put-off as they were before, as well. It wouldn't take long before his eyes began to quickly look over everybody, scanning over the familiar and new faces in front of him.

It would be quite predictable to see Shaggy start to cower a little in his presence, Scooby hiding under his paws as he peered out timidly. Daphne and Freddie shared an uncomfortable glance to each other while Velma raised an eyebrow. While he was certainly creepy to behold, there was a reason he was here. She mentally began to chide herself, because it was the same reason they were there. For the most part, they hadn't done much for their own investigation.

A few of the ghouls were visibly shaken by the man's strange appearance. Tanis, naturally, was hidden behind Googie the best to her ability, peeking out from behind with a nervous gaze. Elsa was a bit more composed, although the raised eyebrow and apprehensive look on her face showed that she had no idea who this person was or what their intent happened to be.

Of course, not everyone seemed frightened of the detective. Naturally, Miss Grimwood wouldn't show much else on her face besides a courteous smile. She would be the only one allowing such a friendly exterior, though. Sibella was perhaps the most calm looking, a cold, analytic gaze on her face as her green eyes seemed to scan over him. Her instincts knew that there was something off about this man, but showing fear would only show weakness. Winnie was a bit more open with how she felt, her hackles on end as she glared at him through her yellow gaze, almost unblinking. Her growls were audible to only the people around her. One wrong move would surely have the detective end up on the bad side of a werewolf attack. The pet dragon had left the kitchen to see what was going on, not pleased with seeing the detective. Matches was not looking to put up with some stranger's crap, as he was growling much louder than Winnie was, his tail twitching in irritation as smoke puffed through his nostrils. If it weren't for the fact that Miss Grimwood was standing right next to him, he'd be toast.

Googie and Phantasma, for the most part, were confused. While the blonde had certainly seen the detective around before, she never really took him much into account. She merely thought of him as some random bystander. While he was definitely quite freaky and off-putting, she could only look puzzled by his appearance. Phanty as well, although she seemed less puzzled, and more intrigued. A weird fellow with strange eyes and a weird smile reminded her of herself, after all. Once the strange man gave everyone a quick once over, he opened his grinning mouth, to start speaking.

"So the rumors are true," He began, his gruff voice chuckling a bit. Before he could continue, he sneezed, quickly covering his face with an arm. With the sudden movement, everyone seemed to flinch at this, their confusion rising just a tad. This startled Miss Grimwood a bit as well, although for a different reason.

"Oh goodness, how long  _have_  you been in that rain? Matches! Some assistance please," She gently ordered, taking a look at her pet dragon. A few turned to the dragon, curious as what she meant. Of course, he did so unhappily, not wanting to be associated with this kind of company. Still, he knew that Miss Grimwood wouldn't take no for an answer. The grumbling dragon made it's way over to the two, smoke pouring from his nose. The detective watched with a cocked eyebrow, curious as to what would happen with the odd creature. One could almost mistake him for getting ready to spew out a fireball. Instead though, when he opened his mouth, very little flame came out. Instead, it almost seemed like a giant smoke cloud that enveloped the man.

The detective almost felt like he was in a sauna, a large warmth quickly drying him out. He let out a bit of a relieved sigh, shuddering some. Once the smoke cleared up, the detective was revealed once more, his hair frizzed up quite a bit. Phantasma managed to restrain a giggle, pushing her hand to her growing smile as the man merely shook his head and chuckled, fixing his hair up. He did look much dryer and more comfortable, as if he wasn't even in the rain in the first place. After the slight comedic moment, the detective continued speaking.

"I can see that you all took my advice in searching this school out," He spoke, directing his attention to Mystery Incorporated. "While the rumors of this school were kept somewhat hidden, I always figured it would be true. After all, why would anyone even talk about it if it didn't exist?" He chuckled darkly, putting his hands into his hoodie pocket.

At this point, his eyes began to scan over the ghoul students with vast interest. As his eyes darted from ghoul to ghoul (with a brief glance at Googie), he continued with his little talk. "So... what have you all found out?" The humans took another uncomfortable look at each other.

Daphne cleared her throat, finding her voice first. "Well, we haven't actually... discovered anything new right now." Her fingers fidgeted as she couldn't maintain eye contact with him, since he quickly moved his sights over to her. The detective's eyes narrowed very slightly, his grin not lessening.

"Hm, a shame. At least I haven't missed anything." At this point, Winnie finally managed to say something in between her low growls.

"What are you talking about?" Her eyes didn't leave his figure for one second, his own gaze turning to her. His smile flashed a bit more, although he sounded surprised in his response.

"You mean they haven't told you?" The detective sounded quite amused, although it was mostly because he got to see a werewolf first hand.

"I thought it was because Coach wanted to teach us again..." Elsa added, sounding somewhat disappointed, if nervous. After his eyes darted over to the tall flesh golem, his face looked a tiny bit more thoughtful, though no less excited.

"Hm, well that may be  _his_  motive," He began, flashing a gaze to Shaggy, who was now looking down in an uncomfortable manner, rubbing his arm awkwardly and trying to not look at anyone. "As for everyone else, they're here for a different reason." After a small pause of anticipation, the man blinked and continued on, saying, "I'm the homicide detective for the nearby town, and recently, someone was killed. And not by anything human."

Tension seemed to rise a bit, the ghoul's eyes widening some. Phanty, naturally, let out a loud dramatic gasp, Tanis's and Elsa's being a bit less loud. For Sibella and Winnie, their eyes merely widened. This did nothing to lessen the werewolf's menacing gaze on the man, while Sibella decided to speak up in defense of her schoolmates.

"If you don't mind me saying this, detective, but there is no reason for you to search around here," She began coolly, her bored gaze staring into his own wide eyes, which were now turned to her. The sheer cheek of her statement made a few others look at her, Miss Grimwood looking quite shocked as well. The man raised an eyebrow and she continued on. "I assure you that all of us here keep our distance away from others. We do not harm mortals." As she stared into his eyes, anyone observant enough would notice his left eye twitch a little.

The man's smile grew wider as he lifted a finger at her. "Vampire, correct?" Sibella gave a simple nod, not removing her own gaze. He tapped his temple a little bit with a dark chuckle. "You're gonna have to do better than that," He began. Most everyone at the table gave the vampire a confused look as she merely flipped her hair off of her shoulder. Miss Grimwood raised an eyebrow at her vampire student in bemusement before the detective continued. "Anyways, while that  _may_  be true, I still have a job to do. Your gracious headmistress has allowed me to stay as long as needed to conduct my investigation. As I'm sure she allowed you all," He said, flashing a smile to the human group.

Velma managed to find her voice as well, building up a bit of courage to speak to the odd man. "If it would help, we could assist you with anything we find."

The man looked to her and grinned, giving a little nod. "I'll be sure to return the favor." Before anyone else could say anything, he turned to Miss Grimwood. "If I may, I would like a small rundown of your building, if you please."

"But of course, detective," Miss Grimwood said, giving a little whistle with her hand. Soon, the floating hand and octopus butler would come in, his eyes seeming to brighten up at the sight of it. "If you could, please show this man around the school. I'll summon you all once dinner is ready." The man gave a final nod to the woman before limping away silently with the even stranger guides.

No sooner had he stepped out of the room did Winnie start voicing her complaints. "Jeez, who does this freak think he is? None of us stepped  _foot_  into that town since we got here!" She scoffed, crossing her arms and eyeing the door frame.

"More importantly, do you all think we had a hand in whatever happened?" Elsa had asked, looking to Mystery Incorporated with an unsure look. Sibella was also studying over everyone, as if trying to get a read on them. The guilty faces they all sported seemed to be a bit of a giveaway, although it was more due to the fact that they hadn't told the girls for this fact alone.

"Of course not..!" Daphne began. "None of us honestly think that at all!"

"Like, yeah!" Shaggy continued, lifting his head up with a look of determination. "I've been around you all before, and none of you have, like, done anything harmful to anyone!" Scooby nodded in agreement, getting the same look on his face.

"Besides, we had no idea what kind of school this was until we got here," Fred added in, trying to muster up a comforting smile. "From what we've seen, we don't have any reason to believe any of you are behind this."

Velma nodded. "All we're looking for is a bit of information first hand. If anything, I'll bet that's the reason the detective is here too."

A few of them lessened their expressions, somewhat relaxed by these statements. Tanis looked around a bit, managing to use her shy voice to speak up and get everyone's attention. "...so does that mean none of us are in trouble?"

Everyone looked to her, Googie deciding to lighten her mood by gently rubbing the top of her head in a friendly manner. "I'm sure that you all will be okay. I bet that once he realizes that none of you are behind this attack, he'll leave and you'll be able to go on without worrying about it."

This seemed to comfort the mummy girl, as she nodded along with her. The cacophonous giggle of Phantasma rang out as she decided to try and be optimistic too. "Yeah, c'mon guys! Don't look so down! After all, none of us did anything, right? There's nothin' to be afraid of!" She said, shrugging the whole event off like nothing happened. At this point, everyone else had started to relax a little more, getting over the initial shock of the news. Despite this, however, Winnie was still somewhat indignant, though her face seemed less on guard and threatening and more huffy.

Miss Grimwood grinned brightly and made her way back into the kitchen. "There's the spirit! I have faith in you girls that you haven't done anything wrong. All I ask is to let any investigations from him  _and_  your new friends continue on," She said, walking with Matches back into the kitchen. Before she stepped in, she turned and pointed to the human group, giving a bit of a warning gaze. "Just don't cause any harm, you hear?"

Mystery Incorporated nodded their heads, not even considering doing such a thing. Satisfied with this, she smiled again and headed into the kitchen. While the conversations became less lively, they were certainly less freaked out than they were before.

Googie was the first to speak, looking to Velma. "So, I'm gonna guess you all know him?"

She gave a nod, fixing her glasses. "Yeah, we met with him before we came down here. Hopefully he'll let us in on a few of his gathered clues before we begin our investigation properly." After saying this, the purple vampire spoke up.

"Perhaps we could be of assistance too?" She asked, tilting her head. "After all, who else would be a better expert in monster kind than monsters?"

"She's got a point," Elsa said, looking a bit thoughtful, resting her hand on her chin. "It wouldn't hurt to help out with this case. We can help out whenever our free time allows it."

"Hey yeah!" Phanty said, cackling some. "You all got to solve some cool mysteries, it'd be fun to find this out!"

"Yeah! We could always use more hands in a case like this," Freddie said, nodding along with her idea. Scooby also nodded, looking quite pleased.

"The rore the rerrier!" He barked eagerly, tail wagging some. Winnie rolled her eyes, but started to slowly smile as her own tail waggled a bit. Admittedly, the excitement of being able to hunt down some new guilty prey made her eager to want to join in as well.

"...y'know what? I'm game," She said, smiling to show off her sharp teeth. "Might as well, since everyone's wanting to look around here."

"I'll help too!" Tanis said eagerly, looking quite determined. "I don't want to let anyone down, but I know we'll be able to do everything we can to help!"

Sibella flashed a smile, showing off her fangs. "Fangtastic, so we're in agreement. Don't be afraid to let us know whenever we can assist." Shaggy chuckled and smiled brightly at these reactions, everyone else also quite impressed with how eager all the ghouls were to help with their monster attack mystery.

"Like, wow! It means a lot to us that you're all wanting to be a part of this," Shaggy replied, leaning back a little as Phanty giggled some.

"Well of  _course_ , Coach! Anything to help our new friends!" Very quickly, the atmosphere became a lot more lightened, since everyone now had a mystery to solve.

"We should be done with this case in no time!" Daphne said happily.

* * *

_..._

_No._

_No no no_ _**no** _ _._

_Who are these mortals that dare try and ruin my plans?_

_..._

_Ah._

_They are all investigators of sorts._

_Mere humans._

_Easy to pick apart._

_But what of the monsters?_

_..._

_I see._

_Easy to control, from the looks of it._

_One of them quite familiar to me._

_Yes._

_Very familiar indeed._

_Let them play their games and have their fun for now._

_Let them play detective._

_It won't be long before they realize who's really in control._

* * *

The excitement from all the detective talk died down somewhat as Miss Grimwood stepped back out of the kitchen after a little bit. "Okay, the alligator is done roasting. Once we get the detective back in here, we'll start dinner," She explained, her expression in her usual, cheery voice. While a little bit skeptical, the others didn't seem too bothered by this notion. She went to the door frame connecting to the next room and let out a whistle. "Dinner's ready! Come on down, please!" It wouldn't take long before the disembodied hand lead the odd man back into the kitchen, who was still smiling as creepily as ever.

"Such an interesting place, Miss Grimwood. By the way, sorry if my entrance was rather... sudden," He explained, his eyes almost looking sympathetic. She shook her head and waved his statement off casually.

"Oh please, no need to worry. Couldn't have you remain out there, or you'd catch your death! Now please sit, dinner's ready." The man simply nodded and replied with a small 'thank you', finding himself an empty seat near the end. Even though they were all willing to assist in the mystery, many of them were still unsure of the man and his strangeness, keeping a small distance away from him. Not that he seemed to mind however, as he sat in silence, waiting patiently. Well, almost everyone kept a small distance away from him.

Phantasma decided to stay put, sitting across from him as she studied him over in curiosity. While she seemed much more bombastic than the detective, their wide eyes and wide grins seemed to almost match. With him, however, it made him look more creepy. Nevertheless, she began to bombard the man with questions. "So you help solve  _murders_  and things like that? That's super cool! I'll bet you've seen all kinds of gruesome stuff, like heads cut off! Ooh! Or someone with, like, 50 stab wounds and no feet! Or someone who had their entire guts spill out!" She rambled on excitedly. While the man merely nodded, the other humans were definitely disturbed by how cheery she was being about homicides like that.

As Googie started to look queasy, Sibella cleared her throat to stop her ghostly friend. "Phanty, dear, perhaps you could save this conversation for later? We  _are_  about to eat." With that, Phanty stopped talking, covering her mouth and giggling.

"Oooops! Sorry, guys! I think that death is an interesting topic though, seeing as how I  _am_  dead!" The ghost girl giggled some more, shrugging off her own statement like she just hadn't said something that was somewhat depressing.

As the floating hand and octopus butler began to serve out dishes of the meal, the odd man merely chuckled a little, shrugging. "Same here. S'why I got into this line of work," He stated simply, eyeing over the plate of alligator. The others did so too, Shaggy and Scooby not hesitating to dig in. While it was quite a strange choice of meat, alligator wasn't uncommon to use in Louisiana. Googie seemed comfortable with eating it, although Daphne had minor qualms with it. Worrying about the taste and whatnot. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it just fine.

Slowly, over the course of dinner, conversations began to pick up again. It wouldn't take long before Winnie started confiding in volleyball techniques, looking for ways to dethrone the Calloway Cadets off of their high horse again. Naturally, being their coach, Shaggy would make sure to be a part of this conversation too. That is, when he wasn't shoving more food into his mouth. Velma seemed to be going over a few ideas on where in the school they would begin to look, Freddie and Daphne making sure to give a few suggestions on research as well. Googie joined in too, even if she didn't have a full clue of what to really do. After all, she was quite new to this investigation thing. Velma, at one point, wondered if they should bring the detective in on this, since he was just sitting and eating, not really making any noise. She figured he had his own ideas to go through, though, and didn't bother him.

"Hmm... isn't there a bog around here? Maybe we'd be able to find something around in there?" Freddie suggested at one point, patting around his pockets. "I thought I had a map on me... must've left it upstairs."

"A bog, huh? I think it'd be okay if we went there as a group," Daphne continued, thinking about it for a little. Elsa had cut in, looking a bit worried.

"Erm, I hate to interrupt, but I suggest you stay away from the bog. It's too dangerous of a place." At this point, the ghouls were kept oddly silent as they heard her talk about the bog. Shaggy, understandably, slowed down his eating as well, Scooby whining some. Only those two actually knew why they wanted to avoid that place, despite previously having enjoyed a small field trip there. After all, that was where Revolta had not only resided, but caught all the ghouls. Not a fond memory.

Velma seemed to pick up on this. "Does this have something to do with whatever the situation with the witch was?"

Everyone nodded, Tanis piping up. "Miss Grimwood won't even let us go near the bog anymore. Just to be safe."

The detective lifted his head up, cocking his own eyebrow up a little. "Have any other witch problems lately?" He asked the smaller mummy, who gasped a bit as he suddenly spoke to her.

She stammered a bit and looked away awkwardly, shaking her head. "Uh, n-no! Actually, things haven't really been too eventful in those regards. Not that that's a bad thing, though," She added. The detective merely nodded, making a little statement before continuing to eat.

"Can't ever rule out dark magic, y'know."

"If that's the case, I say we do a little research of the immediate area. The building, the town, things like that." Velma continued, straying from the plan of exploring the bog. After all, whatever this witch was, it kept these girls from having to return to that place. Not a good idea to wander around in it and get lost, or worse, get pulled in by quicksand.

The rest of the dinner continued uneventfully, for the most part. Winnie, deciding to try and make everyone less uncomfortable, started trash talking the cadets, which the rest of the ghouls seemed to enjoy. The others also laughed, listening and enjoying their meal. The octopus butler cleared the table as everyone began to get up. It wouldn't take long for Phantasma to float over to the detective, talking to him once more.

"Oh my god, I just thought of something! We never introduced ourselves properly! I'm Phantasma, the phantom! And over there is Sibella, Elsa, Tanis, and Winnie! From what I see, you already know Miss Grimwood and the others!" She said, pointing out each classmate as she listed them. His eyes looked over each one briefly as she continued, turning back to her with his wide grin.

"Well, a pleasure to meet a real spirit, Phantasma. Never had the luck before," He said, trying his best to sound more friendly.

"Now you have!~" She said in a bit of a sing-songy voice. "What about you? We can't just keep calling you 'detective'! Too formal, y'know?"

The man merely shrugged. "It's all I usually go by. That or  _freak,_ " He added in, emphasizing the last word a little. Apparently that was a common nickname for people to give him. If he was trying to be dramatic or sardonic, it went right over the phantom's head.

"Ooh, gotcha. Nice to meet you, Freaky!" She said, giggling in her usual bubbly fashion. This didn't seem to bother him, his usual unhinged look upon his face.

"Likewise. Now if you'll all excuse me, I think I'll peruse a bookshelf for the night. I left most of my personal library at the office, sadly." He had said, moving towards the living room, looking through various books. Velma recognized a few of them he eyed over. After all, being ever the bookworm, she couldn't help herself but take a gander at them herself. He seemed to stand at the bookshelf for quite some time, moving his gaze from spine to spine, almost unblinking.

At this point, Freddie had walked over to him, curious about one little detail. "Hey, uh, detective?" He began, the other man's eyes looking over at him. "Are you going to be staying in our room?" While the blond didn't see any qualms with him sleeping with them, he did still find him quite... well, freaky. His fear was quelled a little when the man shook his head, returning his attention to the bookshelf in front of him.

"Nah, I don't think so. I'm a bit of an insomniac, so I doubt I'll be doing much sleeping. Besides, there's too much to explore around here," He replied, his grin widening into a smile, quite excited about getting to look around a monster school. The blond was confused by this, but didn't seem to press further. He still found the homicide detective quite freaky, watching him pull out a book ( _History of Grimwood_ ), and start to scan through it excitedly, limping his way to a chair and settling in it, his wide eyes not removing themselves.

Freddie turned away, rubbing the back of his head as he went to his group of friends. "Man, and I thought  _Velma_  was book-obsessed..." The group, as well as the ghouls, headed back into their rooms for the night. Tomorrow, even though classes were to continue on, they all had a new activity to look forward to.

* * *

_..._

_You know what to do._

_Summon forth my servant._

_Urge them out._

_Let them know my power._

_And by extension, yours._

_Not much longer now before we can begin our plans proper._

_Such power._

_Exciting, is it not?_

_..._

_Your mind shows... hesitation._

_Hm._

_Hm hm hm._

_A shame that does nothing for you._

_I apologize._

_It will be done, regardless._

_You should know this by now, yes?_

_..._

_Good._

_Good good good._

_**Now go and do what must be done.** _

* * *

Morning came once again, everybody heading into the kitchen for breakfast. The detective was already sitting when the first occupants (predictably, Shaggy and Scooby) arrived. His eyes were glued to a rather thick book, that looked like a very long biography of a famous vampire. The bags under his eyes showed that he hadn't slept at all last night. Never the less, his smile was wide and creepy, his eyes wide open. The two hungry friends decided to not press about it, since they still found him quite creepy. It wasn't much longer before everyone else filed down to the table, one of them bound to ask about it.

Everyone seemed to take their usual spots, Googie joining the rest of the humans this time around to help discuss plans of investigating the school. A couple of the girls were listening in too, wanting to be a big part of it as well. Naturally, while Shaggy didn't have much to offer, he listened in as well. No point in being lost, of course. Their breakfast for the day was pancakes. The ghouls' had beetles cooked in the batter, but thankfully, none of the humans' had anything as strange.

Sibella took a glance at the detective's book, getting a bit of a smirk as she began to speak to him. "Reading about Prince Lioncourt?" She asked, somewhat amused. The man nodded and glanced up with tired, yet wide eyes.

"Oh yes. I've never had the fortune of meeting Lestat personally, but he was always such an interesting topic, especially around here." He slowly closed the book, tilting his head at the vampire. "Is he your father by any chance?"

Sibella let out a bit of a laugh, shaking her head. "Oh, no. I am the daughter of Count Dracula," She answered. His eyes seemed to bug out a bit more, his smile widening (if that was even possible).

"The big man himself? Amazing... tell me, what is he like?" He asked, sounding a bit more excited.

Sibella merely shrugged, taking a small bite of her stack of pancakes. "Regal, for the most part. A bit stuffy for my tastes. Lately, however, I do believe he's going through a sort of... 'mid-death crisis'?" She ended her sentence with a bit of a giggle. "Lately, he's given up on his racing passion and has instead been occupied with different ways to decorate his castle."

Before the detective could ask about the castle, Googie turned over, smiling uncomfortably. "Heh, uh, that'll be something I'll have to talk to you about later..." Sibella gave an curious look, raising an eyebrow as Shaggy laughed nervously.

"Like, yeah. Let's just say that the last open house I was at wouldn't be the last time I saw him." Mystery Inc. shared a bit of an uncomfortable look, realizing that the awkward conversation about her father would arise sooner than expected.

"Coach, what do you..?" She began, being cut off with a wave of his hand, smiling nervously.

"Hey, don't worry about it too much! For now, let's finish up breakfast and we can, like, get started with our training." A few ghouls shared confused and concerned gazes, Sibella not removing her imploring green eyes from him. When it became obvious he wouldn't continue, she sighed through her nose and returned to her breakfast. While the rest of the freelance detectives continued to plan, already knowing about the whole story, the detective studied over Shaggy some, one eye narrowed. This put off the lanky man, though after a bit, the weird man merely shrugged and returned to his book, not eating anything.

Soon after breakfast, Shaggy and Scooby had all of the ghouls head outside with him. While Velma, Daphne, Googie, and Freddie decided to stay behind, the detective followed them out, with a promise of staying out of their hair while they exercised.

The rest of the investigators remained in the living room, going over their plan. "Okay, so the first thing we need to do is get a slightly better feel of this place. The more we're aware of our surroundings, the easier it'll be to recognize something out of the ordinary," Velma began to explain.

"Didn't we already see most of the school already though?" Googie asked, scratching the back of her head some. Velma responded by nodding and smiling gently.

"A little bit, but it wouldn't hurt to look closer. Besides, an old mansion like this is bound to have secret entrances and other hideaways."

"Perfect places for hiding any evidence!" Freddie concluded, getting a surge of enthusiasm. After all, who wouldn't be excited to find secrets.

"With a house as big as this," Daphne began, waving her arms to accentuate just how big the living room in and of itself was. "We'd better get started then. Who knows how long we'll be looking?"

As they began to split up around the living room, searching through bookshelves and under chairs and tables, Googie spoke up again. "Do you suppose any of the girls know of any hiding spots?"

Velma, who was on her knees, looking inside of a fireplace, turned her head. "Probably, though we'll wait to ask them when they're done with their classes. After all, it'd be wiser for them to stay focused on their education."

Freddie, who was flipping through books for emptied out pages hiding away a key, smirked and glanced over at his sweater wearing friend. "Not surprising you'd say something like that, Velma." The others laughed a bit with his joke, Velma wiping her glasses off with a small smirk and shrug.

* * *

Outside, Shaggy had the girls start with their usual stretches, exercises, and a lap around the school. They seemed to keep up slightly better than they had yesterday, but it was still quite a distance around the school. When they circled back to where they started, they found the detective scribbling something in a notebook. He was on a knee, looking at the prints they had left while running. For now, they wouldn't let that bother them, as he was staying a distance away from them, observing them some as they continued.

Okay, maybe that bothered them a little, but they didn't have time to dwell on that. Shaggy had walked them towards a practice net, where a giant spider had just crawled off, heading back into the nearby woods. "Like, thanks Legs!" He called to the arachnid, turning to the girls. "Alright, so today I'm gonna have you all practice against me and Scoob so we can get a feel for your volleyball skills. I already did a bit of it with Winnie yesterday, but, like, the point of this is to see where we can work off of!" Winnie flashed a smile as he mentioned her, the other girls nodding at this.

"Yeah! Maybe eventually you can teach us all kinds of awesome tricks, right Coach?" She asked eagerly. He laughed and nodded, raising his hand to calm her down some.

"Maybe eventually! Like, for now, let's just stick with the basics," He explained, bending down to pick up a nearby discarded volleyball. "Now, like, who wants to go first?" Naturally, they all pushed their hands up to the air, making Shaggy start to think a bit, putting his hand on his chin. "Hmm... okay how about this! All of you will go against me at the same time! It'll be a simple rally, and I'll call out who the ball will go to. They'll, like, pass it back to us, and we'll keep going for awhile. Understand?" With a chorus of 'yes, Coach!', he nodded and moved to one side of the court, the others forming to the other.

At first, he had the girls serve the ball, starting with Sibella. The rally lasted for a good bit as he passed it back to Phanty, floating over to the ball and returning it to the Great Dane. Scooby then passed it to Tanis, who just barely managed to hit it over the net back at him. "Good job, but like, put more power behind your hits!" Shaggy added in before passing to Elsa. Despite not seeming to do much with her arms, the ball still went up into the air...

...and for a few seconds, Shaggy waiting, looking up at the grey sky. "...well, uh, great job, Elsa, but maybe not that much power?" He suggested. Soon, the ball came back down and landed right at her feet. "And like, maybe substitute that power for distance?"

Elsa lifted the ball, looking somewhat embarrassed. "R-right, Coach. I'll work on that." With an encouraging smile, he nodded and let her serve the ball. She did much better this time, focusing more on getting the ball over the net, rather than getting it in the air. Of course, it still went pretty high, causing Shaggy to have to run towards the ball before hitting it back over. "Winnie, this one's yours-" He began, his sentence cut off as the werewolf dashed over, kicking up dust behind her. Right as it tipped to their side, she jumped up and spiked the ball down as hard as she could. Naturally, this caused a bunch of dirt to kick up as the ball rocketed at the ground.

A wave of dirt covered the girls and Shaggy, who stood there in shock. Soon, they began to shake it off of them, Winnie giving a nervous laugh. "Heh... uh, too hard?"

Shaggy coughed up some dust, moving towards the ball and clearing his throat. "Well, like, that's  _one_  way of hitting it back. For now let's, like, focus on passes, Winnie." While not looking too embarrassed, she still gave a small smile, rubbing her arm.

"Right. S-sorry, Coach." With that, the lesson continued. Shaggy kept spouting off some advice for the girls as they kept the rally going for quite awhile. A few times, the ball would drop to the ground, but this never seemed to bother their coach. His advice for that would be to let them know to watch where he was going to serve the ball.

Eventually, class would end and Shaggy began to lead them all inside, the detective silently following them in. His notebook was under his arm, having collected whatever information he needed. However, as he passed the werewolf, he began to whistle a certain Van Halen song in a teasing manner. Phanty, being the musically inclined one, held her hands to her mouth to stifle her laughs as Winnie's ears folded in annoyance, glaring at the man. She did feel her face grow warm, but they didn't need to know that.

For now, the ghouls had another class, and the two human men made their way back to the group, who were resting on the chairs and couch, looking somewhat defeated. "Like, what's going on?" Shaggy wondered, wiping his sweaty forehead.

"Would you believe that we haven't found  _one_  secret passage in this living room?" Freddie groaned.

"Yeah, we tried all over this room, and couldn't even find a button," Daphne added. While Scooby and Shaggy shared a look at each other, the detective raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you checked every inch? Because if they wanted to keep these secret rooms... secret, then they wouldn't make the switch something obvious," He added, trying to be helpful. Velma, on the other hand, sighed and shook her head.

"Trust me, that thought came to mind half an hour in. We tried pushing against every single brick, floorboard, and candle. Not one of them budged." With that, he began to think as well, a hand under his chin as he grinned.

"Hm. Perhaps there isn't anything else here than. There are plenty of other rooms to go."

"For now, we need a bit of a break," Daphne said, stretching some in the couch.

"Feel free, guys. I'm gonna go observe another mad science class," Velma added, smiling as she stood up and walked towards the lab. She was soon joined by the grinning man, eyes wide in excitement. This sent shivers down her spine, but allowed him to follow.

"Oh, mad science? Definitely a must see," He began, opening his notebook to an empty page, pen already poised in his hand.

The others watched them walk into the lab, Freddie speaking up again. "So uh, after a small break how about we go look around in the foyer? There's bound to be something there." With an agreement from the rest, they knew that their investigation was far from over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bleugh, I felt like this chapter was just nothing but filler, since I didn't really know what to put in it. Regardless, I did with it what I could. I thank you all for being patient with me while I worked on this! I'm not going to stop abruptly with this story, so don't worry about me suddenly abandoning it. 
> 
> Shameless plug time! I'm working on a new fanfiction aside from this one (featuring neopets because why not). Because of this, updates may take longer, but I'll be sure to upload more chapters to both of these stories around the same time. If you're up for it, go give that fiction a read too! I thank you all for leaving such nice reviews (shout out to Mr Spinner, who also writes a Ghoul School type story that I'm a big fan of). Hope you all like this and thanks so much for reading!


	8. Using Your Noodle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mystery Inc. finds a secret while Sibella confesses something to her friends.

**Scooby Doo: Monster Menagerie**

**Chapter 8: Using Your Noodle**

When one observes a class called "Mad Science", one must always expect the unexpected. After all, creating life as if you were God already crosses the boundaries of ethics and morals, regardless of what you do with your abilities. It can't be blamed too badly in this context, however. Monsters learn differently, it seems, and if a perversion of science is what helps them with their education, far be it from Velma to judge them. With that being said...

"Do you suppose those are human brains..?" She asked the detective quietly, leaning towards him as her eyes remained glued to the lesson. The reason she asked wasn't because she was unsure if they were really human brains, of course. She was smart enough to know they were in fact real. She had merely asked out of sick curiosity, a second question forming in her brain to ask later. 'Where did they get them in the first place?' Miss Grimwood had assigned the girls to create something with their given specimens. Before the class ended, they would show off their projects and allow everyone to see what they had created. A gruesome and macabre project to be sure, even if it was quite creative.

The creepy detective had his notebook open, eyes quickly moving from his pages back up to the girls working before darting back down, his hand continuously scrawling numerous diagrams and words on his pages in vast interest. Upon being asked by the bookworm about the authenticity of the brains, his hand stopped for a little so he could move his eyes over at her. His already wide grin formed into a toothy smile, letting out a couple of dark chuckles before moving back to his notebook. Velma whispered a small "Jinkies..!" to herself, definitely freaked out by both the detective's answer and what was going on in front of her.

Elsa, naturally, had taken to the project like a fish to water. It wouldn't be long before she examined her given brain, using measuring tools to determine the size of it. After quick measurements, the Frankenteen had decided to dissect it, using a scalpel to cut the brain in a state that showed off the two hemispheres so she could examine the insides for closer inspection. Once she determined that the brain itself was quite healthy, she began to sew it back up, not unlike how her own stitches were. Using various sized wires and plugs, she would route some sort of system, connecting various regions to each other. After that, she gently held the wired organ, moving over to a miniature tesla coil. With one hand gently cradling her 'invention', the other one reached out, a finger extended. A bright flash of electricity would quickly form to Elsa's finger. While it didn't seem to effect her, the electricity also inducted into the brain, making it shudder and smoke some. After a couple of minutes, she removed her hand and let the brain rest on her work table, moving around to scrounge for something else. Of course, everyone was quite interested in what she was doing, even if they had their own project to take care of. Eventually, she'd wire an old telegram up to the brain, making sure it was in working order. In no time, the telegram went to work, beeping out a message in morse code. Elsa, as well as the detective made sure to quickly jot down the message it was rapidly putting out.

_.- ... . .-. . / .- - / .. / - ... / -. - -.. / .- ... -.- / -.-. .- -. .-. - / .. / ... . . / - .-. / ..-. . . .-.. / .- -. -.- - ... .. -. -. / .- ... .- - .-. ... / -. - .. -. -. / - -._

The message would continue on in the same manner, beeping out into the classroom. While the detective began to translate the messages, Velma's eyes continued to scan over the other students' handiwork. For Sibella, her project would have similarities to Elsa's, although instead of wiring, her brain would be connected with clear surgical tubing. Carefully using a syringe, she would inject blood into it, simulating a blood stream into the organ. Oddly enough, the brain seemed to react a lot like a heart would, in that it would begin to pulsate somewhat, steadily keeping the blood going. Velma had no idea how this was possible, but found it better to not ask questions about this sort of ordeal.

Phanty, for the most part, seemed to be shoving various bits of metal into the brain in front of hers, with seemingly no goal in mind. It was quite weird and disturbing to watch her prod around with a metal fork in a region of the brain before shoving what looked like a long metal pin into it, connecting numerous wires from each pin to one another in a haphazard manner. Whatever the reason, it managed to make... something happen. Holding up two fingers on each hand, she'd reach down at the brain and begin prodding at each different part of the brain. Somehow, the vibrations of it elicited a weird noise, almost like a garbled, echo-y squish. Rubbing her fingers along it would change the pitch of the odd noise. Soon, Phantasma was playing her own little brain theremin concerto, giggling wildly to herself. This got the attention of everyone else, the detective even stopping his scrawling to stare at the odd scene.

"...okay,  _now_  I want to know how this all works," Velma murmured to herself, hand resting on her chin as she saw the detective draw a diagram of the brain theremin. The only thing close to words on the page would be numerous question marks.

Tanis, thankfully, did something that made slightly more sense than whatever the phantom was doing. Any pins and wiring that would be connected into the brain would be much more organized. Unlike the phantom, though, the mummy girl pushed two old fashioned glass tubes into either side of the brain, making sure to connect them. After figuring out how to connect an alarm clock to the front (with the help of Elsa), she would soon succeed in making something like a potato clock, only instead of a potato, it was a brain.

Winnie, for the most part, looked very unsure as to what to do with her brain. She never felt like the creative kind, so for half of the period, she would be nudging and poking the squishy membrane with a claw in a bored manner. At one point, she had connected a single wire into an area of the brain, connecting the wire into a switch and flicking it on and off, watching the current shoot through the brain and watching it react. After the third or fourth time of doing this, her eyes lit up as an idea hit her. With a scalpel in hand, she began to cut various lines throughout the brain, pushing in more wiring and connecting it to the switch. Near the end of the period, she had created what looked like a weird brain flower that would fold and move like a kinetic sculpture when she flipped the switch.

Miss Grimwood was quite impressed with what everyone came up with, praising their work as she had them put them upon a shelf for display purposes. As the detective continued to scrawl in his notebook, his smile still as wide as the day is long, Velma walked over to Elsa, making sure that the telegram was properly set up so it wouldn't fall off the shelf. "That's... quite a creation you made, Elsa," She began, trying her best to put on a polite and not at all creeped out smile.

The flesh golem girl flashed a sheepish smile at her, shrugging. "Thanks for saying so, Velma. Truth be told, I didn't really know what else to do with it."

As morse code beeped out continuously, Velma nodded and looked at the brain. "I know it's not my place to say so, but doesn't it seem a little... inhumane to keep them alive like that?"

Elsa shrugged, nonphased by such a notion. "Perhaps, though it's not like they're connected to anyone anymore. No pain receptors of any sort." She pointed at her project and continued to explain through the morse code. "You see, I connected spasms created from the hippocampus, so it can communicate with it's past memories. It can't hear or learn anything new, though, so it's only going through confused repetition at this point, I believe." Her explanations were slow and methodical, a hint of pride in her own work. "Don't worry, if it gets too annoying to deal with, I'll just disconnect the telegram."

Velma blinked at how nonchalant Elsa was about this whole thing. She supposed that the more you're around the macabre and weird, the more used to it you get. Her eyes drifted towards the other brains... and then to the detective. She looked back at Elsa and nodded a little. "I see. Well, I won't keep you from your next class," She ended with a small smile, which her friend returned before heading to the other side of the room with her friends.

As Velma walked back towards the exit, the detective shut his book and put his pencil into his pocket, walking with her. "Well that was quite interesting, yes?" He asked her curiously.

"Definitely interesting," She replied, feeling unsure if that was a good thing or not. To help get her mind off of the weird scene, she looked back at the detective. "Come on, let's see if the others have made any progress in finding a secret entrance anywhere yet."

* * *

"Have we checked under the stairs yet? Maybe there's a hidden cupboard or something."

"Like, sorry, no hidden rooms there."

"Check under creaky stairs, then! There has to be something under one of those, right?"

"No ruck rith the rug..."

The group of five had been searching around the foyer for the entire hour, slowly growing more and more frustrated with their lack of findings. Freddie was leaning against the stairwell, scratching the back of his head as he looked around the room in confusion. Googie was sitting on the stairs themselves, doing the same as Shaggy felt around the side, looking closely for hidden doors. Daphne and Scooby were finishing up pulling a rug back into place after having looked underneath it.

"Maybe there just  _isn't_  any secret passageways around here," The redhead sighed, shaking her head and putting her hands on her hips.

"There are still plenty of other places to search, at least," Freddie continued, looking thoughtful as he rested his chin in his hand. "I could've sworn there would've been some sort of secret room here, though. The two largest rooms in the building and nothing!"

Shaggy stood straight up, stretching a little after having spent the last few minutes crawling on the ground. "Like, I dunno about you guys, but I think it's time we took a little break. We've been at this for, like, a good couple of hours," He sighed, leaning against the rounded top of the newel. As he did so, though, his hand pushed against the top, making it open up, in a sense. Because of this, the lanky man lost his balance and stumbled forward, gripping onto the post for support. "Zoinks! Hey, like, what's this?"

The others moved over to where Shaggy stood, surprised with the sudden development. Like a hidden compartment of sorts, hidden underneath the round post was a small hook with a single, small key. Etched into the wood near the hook was a symbol, that could best be described as a spiral with a single line going through it. Googie helped Shaggy stand to his feet as Fred gathered the key, a big happy grin forming on his face. "Alright, progress! Great find, Shag!"

"Now all we have to do is figure out where that key goes to, right?" Googie asked, looking over to the other blond, who nodded.

"Does that mean we'll have to search through the whole school again?" Daphne asked, raising an eyebrow. The thought of going on a wild goose chase for a key hole that may or may not even be located inside the house did not thrill the red head any more than it did looking for a secret in the first place. Still, it was nice to have actually found something.

"We may need to, Daph," Fred explained, still keeping the key in his hand, not wanting to lose it.

"Rucky rind, Raggy!" Scooby barked, looking up at his tall friend, who chuckled and started to scratch his head. Soon enough, Velma and the detective came walking to the huddled group, having just left the laboratory. Both of them quite curious as to what they had just discovered.

"I take it you all found something of interest?" Velma asked, a smile on her face as she looked in to see the new clue. Freddie presented the key proudly, beaming as his friend exclaimed out, "Jinkies! How'd you all find that?"

"Shaggy over here knocked over a stair post and revealed it to us," Googie explained, pointing over to the newel, which was still opened up. Velma examined it, fixing her glasses a little as she inspected the symbol inside.

"Do you think that could be a clue to where the key goes?" Daphne asked, watching as the detective soon scribbled down the drawing on a blank page in his notebook.

"Could be..." Velma mused, moving to shut the newel back. Who knows if they were even supposed to find this in the first place? Best to keep their discoveries as conspicuous as possible.

"Like, I wonder how long we'll have to look to find out where that key goes?" Shaggy asked, already feeling mentally exhausted just thinking about it. After all, the building was indeed quite big, and searching through every nook and cranny for a little keyhole sounded like a daunting task.

"We probably won't have to look too far," The detective added, his smile seeming to grow as he formed an idea. "I believe I've seen that symbol before." The others looked at him expectantly, though instead of immediately explaining to them, he began to walk back into the living room, curling a finger to have them follow. After sharing a quick glance to each other, they followed.

Soon, the group of investigators were standing in front of a bookshelf, the weird man's finger soon scanning over each book spine. After a few seconds, he pulled out a rather thick, worn green leather bound book. "Look here, on the cover," He said, pointing to the front. Embossed on it was a similar pattern, a title written in a different language.

"Woah! Is there anything in there?" Googie asked curiously, tilting her head. Soon, he began to flip through the pages of the book, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Velma and Daphne, meanwhile, began to look over the bookshelf again, checking it out to see if there was anything hidden.

"...hm, nothing unusual besides the language written..." The detective tutted, shutting the book, his smile lessening considerably.

"Hey guys, check this out! I think I see something," Daphne called. The group was soon back to the shelf, Velma starting to carefully pull books out of the shelf and setting them to the side. Behind the books would be a very small key hole, hidden from view by all of the strange books in place.

"Now we're getting somewhere! C'mon gang, let's see what'll happen," Freddie began, holding the key out and extending his arm into the shelf. Shaggy gulped, looking about as nervous as his dog was.

"Like, careful Freddie! There might be a reason why the keyhole and it's key was hidden away!" Scooby concurred, nodding as he hid behind his tall friend.

"Relax, Shaggy. I doubt that if anything were alive in there, it'd still be alive," Googie reassured, patting his shoulder gently. Velma however, thought aloud with a hand on her chin.

"Not necessarily, Googie. Rats, bats, snakes, spiders, and all sorts of insects could be living in a closed off room for years without being discovered..." The strawberry blonde turned to Velma, scowling a little, but obviously unnerved.

"...thanks, Velma," She muttered, making sure to stick close to the even more shaken foodie, who was also not fond of running to a large group of rats or snakes. Before he could make any sort of protest though, a loud click was heard. Freddie had turned the key into the hole, quickly stepping back as even more, smaller clicking noises emitted from somewhere behind the shelf.

The gang waited out the noise, some sort of machination working and moving around, hidden somewhere underneath the floorboards. Soon enough, the floor stopped it's clicking as the book shelf slowly opened outwards. Freddie and Shaggy helped tug the shelf out more, being careful not to do it too quickly so the books wouldn't fly out. Everyone gazed inside, seeing another small, stone staircase leading downwards into a very dark room. A few roaches spilled out from the cracks of the wall, skittering out into the room and hiding away. Scooby and Shaggy let out an audible shudder. Googie looked between everyone as a cold chill from the unknown room below spilled out onto the group. "So uh... who wants to go first?"

Without hesitating, the detective began his descent down into the room, not saying a word. The others gulped as Daphne pulled out her phone, quickly utilizing it's built in flashlight. "If we're gonna explore it, might as well be able to see..." The others soon followed her lead, slowly following their strange new companion. Daphne, of course, stuck to Freddie's side, while Velma, Scooby, Googie, and Shaggy moved closely as one group.

They all soon reached the bottom, everyone shivering lightly from how surprisingly cold the room felt. They flashed their lights in different directions, taking in what they saw. Along the walls of the room were gas lamps, dusted and covered in cobwebs after years of not being used. None of them were even sure if this place  _had_  gas. On the floor, covering all three walls were more bookshelves, although instead of reaching up to the ceiling, they reached up to about their hips. They were also quite dusty, although there were also numerous instruments that looked like they could have been used for witchcraft. A mortar and pestle, an opened spell book, various runes scattered about, a deck of tarot cards left out in the open, and a cracked crystal ball were some of the few items laying around.

"Jinkies! This must've been a secret room used for spells and potion work. The question is, why was it hidden away..." Velma said, eyes wide in surprise as Shaggy and Scooby shook in place, hoping that nothing would jump out at them.

Freddie and Daphne watched the detective in front of them, as he was just standing in the middle, not moving an inch. "Hey, are you okay?" Freddie asked, flashing his light to the back of his head. The man slowly tilted his head towards them, eyes wide as usual, grin as big as it can be.

"I believe we've found a lead. Take a look downwards."

In their haste to glance around at the walls, they had all neglected to look downwards. When they all did so, they all gasped exclaimed in surprised. In the middle of the room, drawn in some form of dark colored chalk or paint was a summoning circle.

* * *

Sibella's eyes never wavered from the blackboard in front of her as Miss Grimwood kept up her explanation of calculus basics. While the same definitely couldn't be said for her werewolf friend, who was just about ready to fall forwards and pass out from boredom, the vampire's mind was elsewhere. While she would've preferred it to stay focused on the lesson at hand, she found it quite difficult to ignore the thoughts in her mind.

The reason being because of the fact that her dreams were plagued with fire, as it was the night before she left for Grimwood's. Fire, evil laughter, screaming... and the worse part of it was that half of the time, she would've even be able to see anything, which was quite unusual for a dream. Figments that were not visible, but were audibly quite real. It also didn't help that she could almost  _feel_  the flames engulfing her body. To make matters even worse, it was mixed in with the sensation of being stabbed and sliced by what felt like waves of knives. It took most of her willpower to not immediately start screaming as she finally managed to wake herself up. A quick glance over her body afterwards confirmed that she was not injured. Not physically, anyways. It was not normal for her dreams to feel so... real.

"...-bella? Sibella, did you hear me?"

For what seemed to be the first time in a few minutes, she blinked, the voice of her teacher bringing her back into the conscious world. The first thing she would process was the fact Miss Grimwood was staring at her, arms crossed as she had a stern, yet patient, look on her face. Apparently, she had asked a question and expected the vampire to be quick to answer, as she usually was. Either that or she finally took notice of her eyes glossed over, lost in thought.

A quick glance around the room would reveal that the other students were curious about Sibella's silence. Usually, with her answers, she'd be helping everyone understand the material better, or at least be able to follow along. Even Winnie seemed a little more alert by not having her daze snapped out of by Sibella's explanations of mathematics. Naturally, being ever the graceful one, she quickly composed herself, clearing her throat and answering as if nothing was wrong. "Ah, pardon me, Miss Grimwood. I believed I zoned out a little. Been awhile since I've last had sustenance, you see," She explained calmly. She felt like it wouldn't be wise to make anyone nervous about her dreams, though. At least not yet. Sibella thought that if they persisted, she would come forward about them.

Miss Grimwood raised an eyebrow, finding her answer somewhat satisfactory as she smiled and continued her lesson. "Well, lunch is after this class, so we'll be sure to find something for you. Until then, could you answer the question on the board?"

Sibella nodded and provided the answer, almost effortlessly. With that, the lesson continued, the vampire finding her focus working back towards the lesson. The other girls, while turning back, would now begin to worry for their friend. It was definitely not  _like_  Sibella to act like that, even when she hadn't had blood lately. There was something wrong, and it didn't seem like she wanted to let them know about it just yet. A silent gaze shared between the other four let them all know that they'd have to ask about it when they had private time.

* * *

The investigation team couldn't help but stare downwards at the circle for awhile. Inside the circle, besides the odd detective, was a star, drawn in to match that of a pentagram. Unreadable symbols were also around the circumference, though oddly enough, there weren't any candles. A closer look from the team brainiac, however, saw small circles, possibly made from wax. If there were any candles, who ever set them there had removed them.

"Jeepers! Does this mean..?" Daphne exclaimed, trailing off her sentence. She honestly hoped that it wasn't something satanic, but with a slow nod from the ever grinning man, everyone would become quite shocked.

"Zoinks..! Like, do you suppose whatever was brought in is still lurking around?" Shaggy nervously asked, holding his scared dog in his arms as usual.

"Relax, guys, I don't think it's still here. At least, I hope not," Velma added, fixing her glasses and bending to the ground to get a better look at the circle. The detective and Freddie had done the same thing, both of them gently rubbing their finger along it.

"Jeez... this feels kinda sticky. It's also kinda... metallic. Is this...?" Freddie began, his eyes widening in fear of what he was touching. The detective nodded once more, sniffing his own fingers for confirmation.

"Blood. A thick amount of it too. Not surprising, since it's so cold," He said in his usual low voice, eyeing over the pattern of it all, almost appreciating it. Googie couldn't but imagine him putting his fingers to his mouth, tasting it. That nauseated her and decided to think of something else.

"Can you tell if it's... human?" She asked, starting to eye over her body a little, just in case whoever drew the circle happened to take it from her. Thankfully, she saw no scars or needle holes. Still, the case of where the blood even came from was still something that she felt like she needed to know.

The man glanced up and merely shrugged. "Googie, was it? Most blood smells the same. Whoever did this could've used any nearby wildlife. Wherever they got the blood, they did an amazing job with what they were doing..." He trailed off, giving the pentagram another admirable look before standing. A couple rolled their eyes, everyone slightly creeped out by his comment.

"Do you think we should let someone know?" Daphne pondered, using her phone flashlight to take another quick look around. "Even for a place like this, I doubt this is normal."

"Would it be wise to point this place out to the ghouls, or even Miss Grimwood?" Velma thought aloud, turning to look to her red-headed friend. "After all, whoever hid the key away did a pretty good job of making sure this room wouldn't be found. What if we tip off the culprit on accident and they make sure to keep the key hidden next time?"

Everyone shared an uncomfortable look, the detective raising an eyebrow at this. "Velma, are you implying that... this was the work of a  _student_?" Freddie asked, looking perplexed. However, before she could answer, a different voice interjected into the conversation.

"Like, hold on a second! There's no way any of the girls did this." Shaggy's nervous waver was still present in his voice, although it was taking a back seat to his slight indignation. "I've, like, known these girls longer than anyone else here, man. While they do like a bunch of freaky, weird stuff, they, like, wouldn't  _ever_  consider something like this!" It somewhat surprised everyone to see Shaggy show his support in such an assertive manner (well, assertive for Shaggy, at least). His dog, still clinging onto his neck, nodding in support.

The others looked somewhat embarrassed, the thought of accusing those that they considered their friends to be in on this. After all, he did help stop an evil witch from brainwashing his students. The chances of one of them committing a heinous, Satanic ritual were slim to none.

To the detective, though, he merely shrugged again, starting to move closer to the group, out of the circle. "We can never be too sure, Shaggy. The circle isn't that old, and unless someone's been breaking into the school to commit a ritual..." He trailed off, eyeing everyone over with his wide eyes. They stopped on Shaggy, who looked like he was about to say something else, almost looking insulted. "But, as they say in court, innocent until proven guilty. The only conclusion we can draw from this is that  _someone's_  been busy."

When no one seemed to have anything else to add, the man kept walking towards the stairs. "In the meantime, I do believe the hour's almost up. Let's get out of here before anyone sees this place. Best to keep crime scenes as pristine as we saw it in, yes?" He continued, flashing his creepy grin at the group before heading up.

Everyone followed after, thinking about what he had said. It was certainly hard to digest that anyone in this school could consider doing such a thing. There were various factors, though, and none of them knew what they all were as of right now. Until then, they'd have to keep searching around the grounds, gathering information from the students if they could.

* * *

Lunch today seemed to consist of a type of chili, though strangely enough, this would probably be their quietest meal time today. No one seemed to have much to talk about, the most common sound being heard was Shaggy and Scooby's noisy eating. At times, someone would ask another a simple question about the day or some random tidbit of information, but for the most part, everyone stayed silent. Mystery Inc. would bet thinking about where to investigate next, deciding to keep their discovery a secret from the ghouls for the time being. The detective was always naturally quiet, so it wasn't that unusual.

Sibella's thoughts began to wonder how and when to explain to her friends about her dreams, and whether or not she would share them with Miss Grimwood, Shaggy, or any of his friends. In the meantime, she'd eat her meal, gently grasping a nearby unlabeled bottle of some sort of thick red sauce, putting a generous amount in her bowl. Miss Grimwood kept her word, managing to find some proper sustenance for the vampire girl. As for the other ghouls, they kept quiet, knowing that all of them would confront their vampire friend about her strange behavior in class. Of course, despite how worried they all felt, one ghoul in particular seemed to be noticeably uncomfortable with the heavy silence that fell upon the table.

With twitchy eyes and an occasional manic giggle, Phantasma's eyes quickly darted between everyone, her spoon quite shaky in her hand. A few times, she was the one to try and start conversations with the others. Firstly, excitedly asking Shaggy if they found anything, to which he replied to the negative, quite bluntly for that matter. The second time, she had desperately tried to engage Sibella into talking about their previous math class, although not bringing up her moment of dazing off. Instead, she tried to ask her if she could help her study up on her math, to which the vampire kindly accepted, not saying much else.

While that would give her and her friends the opportunity to confront her about what's obviously been bothering her, the phantom's ears were still ringing from the amount of not-talking everyone was doing. Her hands shook more, eyes twitching like crazy as she kept scanning everyone in an insane manner. Why was everyone so  _quiet_?! It was enough to drive her bonkers!

"Hey Phanty, like, are you okay..?" Shaggy decided to ask, stopping in the middle of his fourth helping to look at the twitchy ghost.

Immediately after he asked that, she yelled out something to finally break the silence. "I MADE AN INSTRUMENT OUT A BRAIN TODAY!" With how loud she said that, everyone immediately stopped eating and looked at her, taken aback by the sheer volume of her statement and, to those that weren't observing the class at the time, the strangeness of what she had just said. If it was quiet before, it was nothing compared to right now. Phanty, realizing her outburst, merely let out a few small giggles, feeling her mood deflate a little. She soon stared into her bowl, feeling very embarrassed about the whole thing.

Tanis felt sorry for her ghostly friend, reaching over to gently pat her back (or at least make the gesture of it, since she  _was_  a phantom). The little mummy tried to comfort her friend, feeling a bit guilty. "It's okay, Phanty. I think we forgot just how... uncomfortable silence makes you," Tanis said in a comforting manner. Her ghost looked up at her, giving a small, weary looking smile in response.

Of course, everyone else saw this, the ghouls deciding to casually try and start up conversations again. It seemed to work this time, everyone muttering to one another about the food, classes, progress on investigations, and other similar things. The detective remained silent, though, since he usually did.

* * *

After lunch was over, it wouldn't take long for Phantasma (who was thankfully brought out of her funk), to remind Sibella about a study session. Soon afterwards, Phanty giggled in her usual manner and floated through the ceiling, deciding to meet her there. Just as the vampire was beginning to walk up the stairs, she noticed that the other three were following. Once she gave a quick glance behind her back, cocking an eyebrow up in confusion, Elsa spoke up.

"Uh, hope you don't mind us joining," She requested simply. With a mere nod from the purple girl, she continued her ascent up to her room, the rest of her class in tow. She knew the exact reason why they were following her. She wasn't stupid. Sure enough, when she entered her room, she saw the ghost girl floating in mid air, legs crossed as if she were sitting on the floor, no math book to be found. While she gave a wide smile and a wave to Sibella, her eyes suddenly became very interested in whatever was hanging on the wall, avoiding her friend's stony gaze.

With a small sigh, she walked in and let every join her, making sure to shut the door and lock it behind her. Sibella turned to her friends, who had gathered in a small group, looking expectantly at her. Ultimately, it was Winnie who decided to get straight to the point.

"So, what's the deal?" Her tone wasn't meant to come off as too stand-offish, or even mean. It was just the werewolf's natural bluntness wanting to know what was bothering her friend. The vampire took a look at everyone's face, somehow knowing that it wouldn't have been long since the others caught on to her somewhat unusual behavior. Elsa's face was, as usual, very analytic, yet thoughtful. Winnie's eyes looked thoughtful as well, though her stance let Sibella know that she wouldn't want to wait long. Tanis was quite worried, looking up at her with her nervous blue eyes. Phanty had also gotten her attention back to Sibella, giving a little shrug with an apologetic look.

The vampire's face softened up a little, seating herself in a nearby chair as she let out a sigh. "Very well. It'll do me no good hiding this, anyways," She began, letting everyone else take a seat opposite from her. They wouldn't have to wait long before Sibella began telling them about her strange dreams. "It all started when I was still back at Castle Dracula. Everything was going as normal, up until the night before I left for Grimwood's. That night, I had a nightmare unlike any other I've witnessed in the past."

The others wouldn't interrupt, although they did share an uneasy look towards each other before looking back at Sibella, silently urging her to continue. "I could see flashes of fire, blood, and someone being attacked, although I have no idea by what. The biggest thing that perturbed me, however, was the fact that during most of the dream, I could not see anything, yet I could hear the sounds of someone being attacked by... something." She said, her eyes narrowing as she looked off to the side. Her hand rested on her chin, as if thinking about what could possibly be attacking.

Before anyone could interject, the vampire turned back to the group. "I could also hear someone, or rather, some _thing_ talk to me." She paused, trying to remember what it said to her.

Tanis spoke up in a quiet voice, obviously quite nervous. "Do... do you remember what it said?"

The vampire looked to her and gave a small nod before replying with her answer.

" _The fear you sense is nothing compared to what will soon happen._

_Nothing can be done to stop what is already in motion._

_Unless you feel the need to join my cause, you will fall with the others."_

Sibella did not continue afterwards, letting her words sink in. Winnie's eyes were wide open, unsure of what to make of her statement. Phanty and Tanis shared a scared look to each other while Elsa kept her chin in her hand, thinking to herself. It wouldn't be long before she looked back up, a serious tone in her deep voice. "You had this dream again recently, didn't you." It wasn't formed into that of a question, and more like a statement. It was the only logical conclusion to be made, since Sibella had taken the time to tell her friends about her dream at home.

Sure enough, the vampire gave another nod. "Yes. This time it was much more severe though," She replied, shifting around in discomfort. "You see, while the dream was ultimately similar to the other one, the voice was much more sinister and evil. What's worse is that I could  _feel_  the fire. And I could  _feel_  someone attacking me."

Winnie straightened up, as if ready to run over to her. "Are you okay?!" She quickly exclaimed, concerned about her friend's health. Thankfully, her friend gave a small smile.

"Don't worry, Winnie, I'm perfectly fine. I didn't even wake up with a scratch." Her smile turned back into a thoughtful frown as she leaned back in her chair. "Still, it all felt so real. I'm worried that if I have that dream again, it will only get worse."

After a few seconds of quiet, Phantasma spoke up, using a serious tone of voice that was rarely used for the ghost. "It couldn't be...  _her_ , could it?" Everyone knew exactly who she was talking about, although Elsa was the one to answer her.

"Shouldn't be. After her castle exploded, there were no other indicators that her magic continued to exist. Her castle wasn't rebuilt, there were no signs of her spider-bats. We threw her wand into her cauldron, destroying her source of magic, for the most part," She explained calmly.

Another few seconds of silence passed, Tanis looking at Sibella with a desperate look. "Sibella, you  _have_  to tell Miss Grimwood about this. Whatever it is can't be good."

Sibella gave a small nod, but sighed and crossed her arms. "I've considered it, but it just doesn't feel right to make her worry about something like this."

Winnie huffed and crossed her arms as well, rolling her eyes. "Listen, Sibella, now's not the time for keeping this kind of thing from her. Like you said, things could get worse. You've gotta stop this brooding and let someone know."

The vampire knew her werewolf friend was right. Just like she had told her friends, she needed to let her headmistress know. Still, bringing it up would be quite uncomfortable. She felt like her teacher was already busy enough as it was teaching her students most of their classes. It felt wrong to pile more worries onto her.

Phanty snapped her fingers, her usual semi-cheery voice back. "Hey, I've got an idea! Why not tell Coach? Him and his friends are sure to know what's going on!"

Elsa gave a nod, a small grin forming. "Yeah. Besides, maybe this connects with their mystery in some fashion."

"We did say we would help in any way he can..." Tanis added, hopefully egging the vampire on to confess to someone about her odd dreams. Sibella figured that everyone would come to this conclusion eventually, as she had that exact same thought herself.

It would definitely help them, of course. Sibella stood up, deciding to ride out her discomfort and swallow her pride. "Very well. It would make me comfortable if you all went with me, though." Of course, everyone got up, willing to follow her out. A small smile of confidence grew on the vampire's face, glad that her friends were there for her. She just hoped Shaggy and his friends would be able to help.

* * *

Mystery Inc. would watch as the ghouls made their way upstairs, leaving them time to plan things out a little. Shaggy was slightly confused by this, but didn't figure too much of it. They'd just get more training in another day. For now, though, the whole group was sitting in the living room with Miss Grimwood, doing a sort of interview.

While they all decided to keep their recent discovery a secret, it wouldn't hurt to see if there were any more potential secret areas to the house. Of course, the headmistress was happy to help, sitting with them and doing her best to answer any questions. Strangely enough, though, when Freddie asked about secret passageways, Miss Grimwood merely shook her head and answered in the negative.

"I've lived here for most of my life, and unfortunately, I haven't had time to create one. It would certainly help me a lot, though. I could always use more room for books and classes," She replied with a small laugh, sipping at some tea. Everyone else had a cup as well, though upon being told it was 'toadstool tea', none of them really made an effort to drink, save for Shaggy and the detective. The former because of the fact that he was used to the odd flavor, and the latter for curiosity's sake.

Her answer was quite strange though, as it obviously didn't go along with what they all saw earlier. Velma's mind began to think back to a book that only she and the detective had read.  _History of Grimwood._ She didn't recall reading anything about secret passageways. There were paragraphs talking about how some were attempted to be built, but for some reason, a catastrophe would happen and seal it up. If that was the case though, why was the one they found earlier still in tact?

She lifted her head from her thinking position and asked, "How long have you lived here, Miss Grimwood?"

"I'd say a little over a century and a half," She answered simply, taking another sip of tea. This woman was definitely unnatural, if she was alive that long. "However, this place was here when I moved in and decided to form a school from it. It took a bit of 'cleaning out', but in no time I had this place up and running to where it is now." Miss Grimwood seemed quite proud of how she owned and ran her school. The question in Velma's mind was now what 'cleaning out' meant.

Before anyone else could ask something, they were greeted with someone clearing their throat. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything..?" Came the purr of a familiar vampire. Everyone looked over to see her descending the staircase, looking between everyone. Winnie was beside her, giving her a couple of nudged with her elbow, indicating something. The vampire flashed a look to her and kept moving to the group.

"Oh not at all, Sibella. What is it you'd like to ask?" Miss Grimwood greeted pleasantly. A smile did not form on her face, as she instead sighed, almost not feeling up to repeating her story again. Still, it had to be done.

"I think I have something that may help your case." She said, looking over to Mystery Inc.

* * *

"Where'd you say you saw it?"

"Da nearby graveyard! I was visitin' my granny's grave when I saw th' body!"

The deputy nodded, making sure to take down as much information as possible. "I see. We'll get some people out on the scene to investigate it." It wouldn't be long before he sent out officers to the graveyard, telling them to close off the scene of the crime and keep civilians away.

If this witness was correct, this would be almost similar to the last homicide that happened just a few days prior. The deputy sat at his desk, rubbing his forehead with a hand. He knew that he had to call him. He reached out for the phone and put in the number.

* * *

Everyone listened to Sibella's story with intrigue. Miss Grimwood, Shaggy, and Scooby were obviously surprised with it, as well as how much it seemed to be affecting her. The wellbeing of a student was very important, after all. The rest of Mystery Inc. listened as well, trying to make connections in their heads. As the vampire stated, her dreams may be tied in some fashion to the murder. The detective made sure to record everything down, as if he were a scribe.

Once she was finished with her story, Sibella looked quite drained, finding herself an empty seat to rest in. Out of concern, Winnie remained close to her, Shaggy keeping an eye on her. She definitely looked more tired, though on the inside, it felt as if a small weight had been lifted. It really did help to tell them about her problems.

Miss Grimwood looked thoughtful, a finger tapping against her cheekbone gently. "Thank you for telling us about this, Sibella," She said in a serious tone. "Maybe it would be in our best interest to keep an eye out for any further dreams like this." She glanced at everyone else, her face not changing. "This goes for everyone. Do not hesitate if anyone hears, sees, or dreams something like that. Dreams are more powerful than one can imagine, and if the seem to deviate from how they normally act, than something is wrong."

Daphne turned to the vampire, voicing her own concerns. "Does your dad know? I figure a powerful vampire such as him would be able to help."

Sibella gave a small shrug. "I've told him about the first one, though I shrugged it off at the time. Still, he thought that returning here might be bad for my health."

"And you still came here..?" Googie continued, lifting an eyebrow of hers. "Is there any reason? Not that I don't trust your judgement, of course!" She quickly added, not wanting to offend the vampire by any means. "It's just that... it's clear you know what your visions could mean if they continued. It seems risky to stay as far away from home as you are with this going on."

At this, surprisingly, Sibella turned her head some, her face flushing just barely. "Well... this is a little embarrassing to say..." She muttered shyly before speaking up. "I... didn't want to be away from my friends." She finally replied, brushing her hair out of her face, trying to act as casual and nonchalant as possible. A quick look at the ghouls showed that they were rather touched by this, a few returning the look of a shy smile.

Phanty, being herself, couldn't help but exclaim, "Awww..!" Sibella flashed a grin to them at this. The rest found themselves quite touched by this too, with Scooby joining Phanty in her statement. In an instant, though, the detective had shut his book and got up in a sudden manner. Because of this, a few flinched, looking over at him in confusion.

Rather than provide an explanation, he pulled a hand into his pocket, muttering out, "Excuse me." He turned his back to the group, walking a short distance away as he pulled out what looked to be a cellphone, buzzing in a call. He answered the call with a quiet, "Hello?"

The rest of them watched for a couple of seconds before Freddie spoke up to everyone. "Anyways, thank you for sharing this with us, Sibella. Every clue helps, and to be honest, I think this may be our biggest one yet!" His confident grin was evident on his face, hoping to liven everyone's spirits a little.

"You're quite welcome. As much as it's been bothering me, I know that it'll help all of us get to the bottom of it." She replied, a genuine smile showing, flashing her fangs.

"Like, you can count on us!" Shaggy added, happy to see his students happy once again.

Miss Grimwood was quite pleased as well, slowly standing to her feet. "I'm glad as well! Now, I do believe it's time for our next class, yes?" Before anyone could make a move, though, the detective returned from his phone call, a hand covering his mouth in thought. His eyes remained wide open, though it was unsure if his smile was still there or not.

"Yo, Freaky, what's the story?" Phanty called, curious about his sudden thoughtful look. The detective looked up at her, although not out of annoyance of the nickname. His eyes moved from her, to the group of ghouls, and then to the group of mystery solvers. He removed his hand from his face, his grin still as wide as it ever was as he spoke.

"There was a body found in a nearby graveyard."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Feel like I took too long to get this chapter out, so sorry for making everyone wait! Life comes first, after all, especially when it throws stuff at you needlessly and endlessly. Also, don't be afraid to leave reviews or questions or critiques! Helps me with motivation, y'know? I'll be sure to answer any questions I get in the next chapter when I get it posted. I hope you all enjoy it and thank you for reading!


	9. A Meddlesome Group

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While part of Mystery Inc. goes to investigate a crime scene, Shaggy and Scooby stay behind to join the ghouls' history class.

**Scooby Doo: Monster Menagerie**

**Chapter 9: A Meddlesome Group**

The brightly colored van rumbled along the dirt road, the gray clouds above barely allowing any light to seep through. Thankfully, despite the dark woods, the Mystery Machine's headlights would allow Freddie the sight needed to be able to safely steer through the trees. After the call of a body being found, it wasn't long before the van was being filled up with it's passengers. Freddie drove, naturally, with Velma and Daphne taking their usual spots. Because of the fact that Shaggy and Scooby had to stay behind at the school because of contractual obligations, their spots in the back were filled in with Googie and the detective.

Googie wasn't thrilled with the aspect of sharing a van with a creepy homicide detective, sitting in a van so that she can go investigate a dead body. However, for whatever reason, the gang seemed to have eagerly brought her along, as if she had been part of the group. It was a nice gesture, for sure, even if personally, she didn't have much to add to their observations. What could she even say? 'Oh look, a dead body!' Observant. Still, her heart raced, the thought of being in the middle of a crime scene somewhat exhilarating. Not everyday someone could say they had the opportunity to be a part of it all.

"Something on your mind?" The gruff voice of the detective snapped Googie back into consciousness, her eyes quickly looking up. She shivered some, put-off by how intently he seemed to be studying her with his wide eyes.

The blonde nodded, shifting her short hair with a hand in an idle manner. "Yeah, I guess so. I just feel so..."

"Out of place?" He answered for her, raising an eyebrow. The girl responded with a nod, feeling more and more uncomfortable.

"I dunno why I am, though. I mean, I've met Dracula with Shaggy when... we were still together. It was a strange few days, and it was really frightening too. None of us knew if we were going to... escape him." She finished, unsure if she should reveal all aspects of the story to him just yet. By the way he narrowed his eyes at her, he knew that there was more that she wasn't telling him.

Rather than pry it out of her, though, he merely gave a small nod. "Hm. Amazing that you managed to meet up with Lord Dracula in the first place."

"Not that we had much of a choice..." Googie responded, trailing off some. She was still rather mad at the King of Monsters for kidnapping the four of them in the first place. If given the opportunity, though, she'd prefer to just stay as far away from him as possible, even if she found his daughter to be polite and a lot kinder than him. She knew that the detective would've thought otherwise, but before he could ask, someone thankfully got his mind onto something else.

"So what did the deputy tell you?" Velma asked aloud, turning her head to the two in the back, direction her question to the strange man. His eyes turned to her, his grin never leaving his face, as per usual.

"Not much. Just brought up the fact that someone had found a dead body. He had squad cars tape off the area and they're waiting for us to arrive."

"...they do know we're coming, right?" Daphne asked, raising an eyebrow.

His grin widened, giving a shrug with his shoulders. "Nope." Everyone seemed somewhat exasperated by this, either responding with a groan, a roll of the eyes, or both. This didn't seem to bother the detective, leaning back against his seat. "Oh relax. Not like they don't know who you all are. Infamous meddling kids and all that, y'know. I'll tell them y'all are with me and you'll be free to examine the scene." As he said this, he reached into his tote-bag and pulled out plastic gloves, starting to hand everyone a pair. "That being said, take these. If you have to handle everything, make sure it's as delicate as possible."

Velma examined the gloves as the others held onto the gloves, Freddie quickly pocketing his pair before returning to the road. It was strange to think that a man as weird as the detective was still very competent about his work. After a few minutes, Freddie managed to drive the van free of the woods, headed back onto concrete roads. "I think I remember seeing a graveyard on the way in this town. It was near the entrance, right?" He asked aloud.

"That's right. For what reason, I'm not sure," Velma mused, adjusting her glasses again as they moved towards their destination. "Maybe it has something to do with deterring outsiders."

"I think that's exactly it," Googie answered, turning to the brunette. "Louisiana's known for having haunted cities and towns and other places, so putting their graveyard near the entrance would probably keep any unwanted guests out. Would probably explain why this town hasn't changed much from the time I've lived here..." Googie thought aloud. The detective concurred silently with a nod.

"With extra police activity around there, there's bound to be a crowd this time around," Freddie said, turning down the road near the entrance. "Might be hard to get past anyone." Sure enough, when the Mystery Machine got closer to the scene of the crime, multiple police cars were surrounding the graveyard, not allowing anyone through. There was a line of news vans trying to get the story on the ordeal, but they weren't being allowed in. When the multicolored van pulled in and parked, it was only a matter of time before a disgruntled officer went up to the driver's side, looking less than pleased by the constant interruptions.

Freddie rolled down the window, feeling a bit nervous about the whole thing. Without waiting for any greeting, the officer began ranting on the group. "What're y'all doin' around here? This is police work, an' we don't need any meddling kids stickin' their noses around where they ain't supposed to be!" The blond gulped, unsure of how to respond. The officer was technically right, and they had no real business being around here, even if they all wanted nothing more than to investigate. Thankfully, their saving grace came from a certain freaky passenger, who had just opened up the back of the van and climbed out. The detective quickly made his way to the officer, who froze and took a few steps back from the intimidating, limping figure.

With a quick flash of his hand, he had pulled out his ID, flashed it to the officer for half of a second before folding it back up, putting it away. "They're with me," He stated simply. With a look that could only be described as a grimace, the officer nodded and stepped away, heading towards the other squad cars. The detective looked to Freddie and flashed a wide smile. "C'mon, let's go."

Wasting no time, the other four left the Mystery Machine and followed the perpetually smiling man past the yellow police tape. Naturally, the other officers shared a displeased look to the group, but allowed them to continue in nonetheless. The only other vehicle that was past the police tape was an ambulance, a couple of EMTs waiting nearby. In an instant, the detective snapped on his gloves, making his way to the EMTs, eyes scanning over the nearby area. "Watch your step," He warned the group before moving in. Mystery Inc soon gasped upon the sight.

It was certainly a dead body, although the shape of it was quite nasty. Laying in a small pool of blood was the remains of man, clothes burned and shredded beyond repair. Numerous gashes covered his body, and any hair that was on his head was stringy and smoking lightly. The detective bent to his knee, eyes scanning the immediate area of the body, a gloved hand gently feeling over the gashes, despite the odd looks given from the first responders. With a quick glance upwards, he cocked an eyebrow, waiting for some sort of status report.

The other investigators remained behind, Velma starting to pull her gloves on. "While he's dealing with the body, let's look around." With a nod, the others started to hesitantly do the same, splitting off individually to look around. They also made sure to avoid looking towards the body, as it was much to off-putting to view.

* * *

Shaggy was quite thankful that he had to stay behind at the school with Scooby. While he would've liked to have joined his friends in their investigation, there was no doubt that looking at a dead body would make him a nervous wreck. Not only that, but what if whatever caused the murder was still around? He silently thanked Miss Grimwood's contract for making him stay on the property until his term was up.

Of course, his students, on the other hand, were less happy that they had to stay behind. Miss Grimwood wouldn't allow the ghouls to follow for the simple fact being that they still had a class to attend to. Phantasma was especially bummed out, crossing her arms and looking quite pouty upon being denied the opportunity to look at a dead body. "No fair..." She had huffed. Miss Grimwood made sure to keep an extra close eye on her as they filed back into the laboratory for their final lesson. She allowed Shaggy and Scooby the opportunity to join in with their class so they wouldn't be bored waiting for the others to return.

Despite the disappointment, the ghouls sat in their seats and awaited their lesson, Shaggy and Scooby deciding to stand in the back and observe. After all, neither one of them had gotten the chance to actually see what monster history was like. It was bound to be interesting, if a little creepy. Thankfully, the ghouls' moods would be brought up a tad with the subject that their teacher was going to bring up: demons.

In the past, the ghouls had been told about them, but never in great detail. This could most likely be due to the fact of their witch problem with Revolta so many years ago. The headmistress took a great deal of care to not delve deeply into the subject, with the previous event still fresh on their minds. To Miss Grimwood, teaching something like this in the first place would be much too jarring. However, she soon began to realize that her lovely ghouls were growing up, and it would only be a matter of time before they began to learn about this subject on their own. It was best for them to learn it from their teacher first hand, rather than doing it on their own and risk being a part of something incredibly dangerous. Besides, she needed something interesting to tell them, otherwise they'd lose any interest in this class period in favor of helping out with the murder.

It wasn't long before everyone in the classroom was intently listening, eyes wide open as she told them the history of summoning rituals, curses brought upon by them, and other dark magic that demons tend to be associated with. The tales of horrifying things that have happened in such situations. Hundreds dead.  _Thousands_  dead. Followers blindly following as if they were sheep, letting their minds soak in the manifestos of one single demonic entity.

"Of course, demons do not always rely on magic to get their point across. In fact, more often than not, they rely on other beings, both immortal and mortal, to carry out their dirty work. Humans are just as capable of doing such gruesome things, even without magic that many monsters rely on." Her students' eyes were still keeping their attention on her, too interested and taken back with her stories to even record any of this down. "As I've stated before, most of the times whenever a demon 'chooses' a human servant, the human gains amazing, dangerous magical abilities. Can anyone tell me what they're then called?" Her attention moved over to Elsa, who had her hand raised with Tanis and Sibella. She pointed a finger to her, allowing her to answer.

"Warlocks or witches, depending on who is chosen," Elsa answered.

"That's correct, Elsa," Miss Grimwood replied, smiling gently. Her face looked serious once more as she continued her lesson. "While I know it's not a topic any one of us like to bring up again, I'm sure we all remember our last encounters of an evil witch." Her eyes turned to Shaggy's, who shivered and gulped in response, having a clue as to where this was going to lead. From the looks on the ghouls' faces, they did too. "Especially you, Coach Rogers."

With that, the others turned their gaze to their Coach, gulping as he stood there, feeling as though he were put on the spot rather suddenly. With an uncomfortable look on his face, he scratched the back of his head as he looked to Scooby, returning the look back up at him. "...yeah," Was all he could manage to say. Shaggy just felt grateful that he didn't have to deal with Revolta again. He knew that everyone else was too.

Miss Grimwood gave a small nod, continuing her lesson. "I want to thank you two again for helping the girls out. Not every day that a regular mortal can get away with successfully dealing with a witch," She replied. In Shaggy's mind, he didn't think much of the rescue. After all, while he did go after the girls, it's not like he had much of a hand in stopping the witch. It was the ghouls who managed to actually defeat her. Before he could stammer out any sort of modest statement, Miss Grimwood continued on. "That is why I am here to tell you to never  _ever_ , under no circumstances, summon any sort of demonic entity. Don't go near one if you see one. Do not even consider it," Her voice became firm, making sure to look into each ghouls' eyes. "The consequences are quite dire, as you all have just now learned. Powers that go far beyond both humans and monsters alike are to be left alone." She turned to her blackboard, beginning to draw on it. She drew what looked like the cover of a book, the only symbol on it being a pentagram. She turned back to her students. "Does anyone know the name of the dreaded book of demonic and undead evil?"

For a little, everyone stayed quiet, unsure if they should even speak up. Slowly, the small bandaged hand of Tanis arose, shaking a little. Miss Grimwood pointed at her, looking at her expectantly. "...the Necronomicon?" Miss Grimwood gave a small smile, nodding and returning to the blackboard.

"Correct, Tanis. The Necronomicon is a feared tome, never to be brought into the hands of any mortal. Even immortals are frightened of what this book may bring." She raised an eyebrow, looking around once more. "That does not mean they haven't tried to harness their power. With no success, I must add." She raised her hand to the picture she drew behind her. " _This_  book, is often known as the Demonologist's Bible, and in it tells of every Hellish demon, devil, thrall, curse, ritual, and any other dark magic you could think of. It is just as revered as the Necronomicon, even if it does not possess the power to instruct others on such spellwork. Such Satanic knowledge is forbidden in the monster realm, as I'm sure you're all aware at this point."

With a silent nod from everyone, the headmistress continued on. "Unlike the Necronomicon, however, there are multiple copies, although not many. Only the most powerful of monsters are allowed to keep a copy on hand, and only for emergencies."

"Like, I'd hate to see what would happen if a human were to get a hold of that book..." Shaggy muttered to himself. This caught the attention of Miss Grimwood, a grave, yet apologetic look on her face. He flinched, apparently having been heard by her, since she decided to answer.

"If this book were to fall into the hands of a mere mortal... well, it'd be safe to say that they'd most likely lose their minds." Another gulp came from Shaggy, who looked like he was about to slump down the walls and faint. Scooby looked no better, laying low to the ground, barely peeking out from behind his lanky friend. The atmosphere was slightly lifted as Miss Grimwood put on her usual, optimistic tone as she turned back towards the blackboard. "I do hope you've all learned something valuable today. We'll go over a bit more tomorrow, going over the types of demons that are safe you all to learn about. Class dismissed."

The girls slowly gathered up their stuff, not saying a whole lot to each other as they left the laboratory. Miss Grimwood made her way over to the shaking duo, leaning in so she could whisper to him. "I do apologize if my lesson got a bit too... dark. It must be taught, though. Now, perhaps you might be able to help lift their spirits, Coach?" Shaggy looked towards the group of ghouls as they walked back into the main room, most likely headed to their bedrooms. With a quick glance back at the headmistress, he gave a small nod.

In an instant, Shaggy began to quickly run up the stairs, Scooby peering over and soon following. As they all started to part ways, Shaggy cleared his throat loudly, wanting their attention. The sudden noise of their Coach made them jump some, though looked at him, a little confused. With a nervous smile, he addressed the group. "Hey girls, like, how about a quick lesson before dinner tonight? Like, it could do us all some good to get a bit of training in." The ghouls looked to each other, a few raising eyebrows. Shaggy began to sweat. Did he have bad timing? Maybe an extra class wasn't what they needed. He sure hoped he didn't offend them.

"I think it sounds fang-tastic," Purred the voice of Sibella, sporting a relieved fanged smile. After a very dreary (even for monsters) lesson, she knew some physical education was something that could help get their minds off of it.

Shaggy's head lifted up in surprise, Winnie's voice soon following. "Yeah, sounds like a howl!" She replied, adding in her own rather loud howl for good measure.

"I'm game for more training," Elsa added, smiling a bit more.

"Oh! Me too, me too!" Phanty cut in, floating around in an energetic manner.

"Sounds like fun to me!" Tanis replied, her bright blue eyes twinkling as she beamed at her coach.

Shaggy nodded and smiled brightly. "Like, great! Meet me outside as soon as you can." With a unanimous 'yes coach!', the girls hurried off to put their books away. The lanky man let out a relieved sigh, laughing as he turned to Scooby. "Like, that was a close one, eh Scoob? I thought they were gonna be like, offended or something."

Scooby shook his head, following his friend outside. "Ruh-uh! They rike you too ruch."

At this, Shaggy chuckled and shrugged. "Like, hey, I'm not that great, y'know."

Scooby rolled his eyes, an amused smirk forming on his muzzle. "Too rodest, Raggy..."

* * *

Googie glanced around her side of the crime scene, hands in her jacket pockets. She had put her gloves on earlier, but hadn't had any real reason to pick anything up. Her eyes were glued to the ground, somewhat. All she could really see was a bunch of grass and dirt. Nothing out of the ordinary. From what she could hear from the detective, the dead body had apparently been attacked numerous times by something, but had also suffered from third degree burns in certain areas. A quick glance to the others saw that they were hard at work, making sure to examine everything around them.

As for the strawberry blond, she sighed and leaned against a gravestone, feeling even more secluded from the others. She didn't even know where to begin looking, and had only gone off in this direction because it was the only spot no one else was. Her eyes casually scanned the area around her, as if something would jump out at her.

Strangely, that was actually the case. On the gravestone she was leaning against were flecks of something dark. Her eyes widened and she stood straight up, looking around the whole stone. Sure enough, there was a bit of a splatter of what was most likely blood. Her heart raced, feeling quite excited upon finding a clue. Googie couldn't help but let a small smile start to grow as she turned to the others. "Hey guys, I think I found a clue!" In no time, Velma, Freddie, and Daphne had abandoned their current search and moved towards Googie. The detective glanced her way, but was a bit slower. He had to finish up whatever he was doing, apparently.

Still, that did little to deter her pride as she pointed towards the gravestone. "I think there's some blood from whatever attacked that guy," She explained, letting them all take a closer look.

"Jinkies... from the looks of it, it must've come from a bullet wound or something..." Velma thought, being careful not to touch any of the blood with her fingers.

"You'd be correct," Came the voice of the detective, who had silently gotten behind the group, making them jump and yelp. "There was a gun found at the scene," He continued, holding up an evidence bag with the handgun in it. "No bullets, from the looks of it."

As the detective bent down to scrape some blood into a different container, the rest looked around the gravestone. "There's gotta be something else around here..." Daphne said, keeping her eyes to the ground with the others.

"Look! I think there's something there," Freddie said, pointing to a small pile, a short distance away. The investigators hurried over, slowing down once they saw. It was a pile of what looked like ash, two footprints indented into the ground below. From the looks of it, whatever it was had very sharp talons or claws. The foot falls looked heavy and even seemed to push down some grass for awhile.

"Does anyone else smell that?" Daphne said, sniffing the air. The others soon joined in.

"Hey yeah... smells like... sulfur or something." Freddie replied, his face scrunched up from the foul smell.

It didn't take long for the detective to start sketching out the footprints in his notepad, also taking notice of the stench around them. "Hm... this is quite peculiar." He muttered, quickly getting to his feet.

Velma thought to herself, a hand placed on her chin. More often then not, these kinds of cases turned out to be people disguising themselves as monsters or other types of creatures. As far as she can remember, this was probably the first time she or any of her friends had witnessed one of these types of crimes that lead to the death of innocent bystanders. As the detective collected some of the ash, she couldn't help but wonder something. Was a human even behind this? Her logic wanted to say yes, but evidence of the existence of supernatural, immortal beings were real. Heck, she just came from a school full of them! It could have been possible this was the doing of something else...

After the detective pushed the evidence into his bag, he began to go deep into thought too, covering his wide mouth with his hand, eyes owlishly blinking from time to time. While the others had expected him to start explaining stuff, he remained silent. His eyes did look over to each of them, an eyebrow raised as if saying, 'what do you think?'

Daphne began the conversation, looking between everyone with a nervous gaze. "Do you think that room we found earlier might be related?"

"I hope not. If it is, then something sinister is going on..." Googie replied, shuddering a little. "I didn't like the look of that circle we saw."

"Me either, but from our past mysteries, we know by now that these are not coincidences," Velma replied, looking up at the group.

"Whatever's doing this, we know this is the second attack," Freddie continued, turning his attention to the thinking detective. "Was the other one like this?"

The man nodded, removing his hand and sighing through his nose. "Just about. Only difference is this one tried to defend himself using a handgun."

"...what about Sibella's dreams?" Velma suddenly asked aloud, getting everyone's attention. "I think it's gotta be too much of a coincidence that she would have dreams like that, especially after all we've recently discovered."

Freddie rubbed his chin in concentration, a worried look going over his eyes. "Gang, I hate to say it, but... what if everything that we know so far is related to something..." He froze up a little, unsure if he should even say it, out of fear for if it was really true or not.

"Satanic." The detective finished, giving a grave look to everyone. He hadn't removed his hand from his mouth, so it looked quite spooky. Googie, in particular, was getting a few chills up her spine.

"Be careful what you say..!" She hissed, looking around in a hurried manner. "Folks around these parts aren't keen on anything relating to...  _that_." She was one of these locals, finding it to be a sort of jinx. The more one talks about a curse, the more likely it is to happen to them, she felt.

"She's right," Freddie continued, nodding beside her. "At any rate, I think we've found just about everything we could. I didn't have any luck over at the area I was."

The detective nodded, finally pulling his hand away from his mouth. It didn't comfort the others that he was sporting the widest grin they had probably ever seen him have. "We can go over this more back at the school. I'll meet y'all at the van, I just gotta run this evidence by the officers first." Without another word, he turned and moved towards the yellow tape. Mystery Inc. watched him for a little before turning their attention towards the EMTs, who had just finished loading in the corpse in a body bag.

"This is already getting too dangerous for me," Googie complained, looking around a bit more, as if whatever attacked the body would jump out and go after the group at any moment.

"This definitely isn't looking too bright so far, but at least we're gaining some sort of lead. Even if it is quite... gruesome," Velma added, fixing her glasses.

"Jeepers... do you really think that secret room might be connected to all of this?" Daphne asked.

Velma responded with a small nod, as well as a bit of a shrug. "Perhaps. If we're lucky we'll have enough time to get more answers before something else happens to us."

Googie gulped and leaned towards the nearest tree, making sure to hit her fist against the trunk three times. Freddie and Daphne shared a confused look, while Velma looked quite intrigued. "Superstitious, I take it?" She asked, doing everything she could to not make her question sound condescending, and rather make it sound more curious. The strawberry blonde nodded at her.

"Can't ever be too sure. It'd do us some good to have a little amount of luck on our end." In that moment, Freddie lead the group back to the Mystery Machine, taking a glance at the detective talk to the cops. To him, the officers didn't look very pleased.

It wouldn't be much longer before the detective joined the rest of the gang in the van, situating himself in the back as Freddie started up the engine and began to head back to Grimwood's. "So what were you talking about?" Daphne asked, turning her attention to the man in back.

"They weren't too keen on letting me go back to the school. They preferred me to stay and do my work in a ' _professional_ ' work environment," He replied, removing his hands from his hoodie pockets to do air quote before shoving them back in. Despite how peeved his voice sounded, his face never changed emotions from haunting amusement.

To the others, that wasn't much of a surprise for the others to think that, but if the look of his office was anything to go by, it was hard to pin-point what exactly would be a 'professional' environment for the creepy cryptid hunter. At any rate, as much as they didn't want to admit it, having the detective around helped clear a bunch of things up. Now that they had substantial evidence to help lead their case in something resulting in a direction, they were bound to come up with an answer for these attacks. Now if only he'd stop grinning like that...

* * *

Despite the fact that they gray clouds above were growing darker with each passing minute, there would still be various activities happening outside. Most noticeably, a class of five ghoul girls would be having a great time learning from a human coach and his dog. Their shrieking laughs and howls and grunts echoing out into the growing dusk. From the looks and sounds of it, he was teaching them all various moves and techniques that would help them with their volleyball game. The girls were also quickly picking up these techniques, learning to hone their natural abilities.

Of course, this was picked up by a small group of boys, hanging around around the hedge that bordered from Grimwood's to the only school within a few miles: Calloway's. These boys would also be the only other group of students that were out and about. While the girls were allowed, however, the boys had to sneak their way out. Of course, they knew that if the Colonel caught them, he'd merely send them back inside with no further punishment. Despite this, the tallest of the group, Jamal, wasn't too keen on getting in trouble, shaking his head as he watched the others 'set up base'.

"Guys, c'mon. It's late and we have duties to attend to. Colonel isn't going to appreciate us shirking our work, especially now that we have responsibilities." He reasoned, watching the others expertly fumble with a needlessly complicated machine that looked like a mix between a laptop, a drone, and a periscope. Tug looked through the scope of the periscope part while Miguel did surveillance with Baxter on the computer, Grunt making sure that the whole thing didn't come crashing down on top of them and keeping it held up.

Without so much as giving a side glance, Tug's replied to his comrade. "Jamal, relax. The worst the Colonel will do is yell at us and have us go back to help the new recruits. Besides, this is an important espionage mission."

"Yeah..! Now come on, Jamal, help me keep this thing up!" Grunt groaned out, seeming to have a bit of trouble keeping the massive metal contraption up. With a roll of his eyes, Jamal moved over to the other side and kept it balanced.

"Important espionage... what else could we possibly learn? We've seen just about all we can these past few years. It's not like we're going to learn anything new," Jamal grunted out.

"I beg to differ, Jamal. From the looks of it, the Grimwood Girls aren't the only familiar faces out there," Miguel observed through the computer screen..

"The Colonel? I thought he said he wouldn't be returning to Grimwood's this year?" Baxter speculated, scratching his head a little bit in confusion.

"Affirmative, Baxter. However, it seems Miss Grimwood didn't have to hire any new faces," Tug continued, zooming his periscope on the face of Shaggy, who was saying something to the girls. At this point, it seems they were all taking a small break. As the periscope zoomed in on Scooby, Baxter spoke up.

"Hey, isn't that that weird beatnik guy and his dog who managed to have the girls beat us that one year?" Baxter spoke up, pointing to the screen.

"Affirmative," Tug answered, pulling back to rub his chin in thought.

" _He's_  back?" Grunt said in disbelief, almost losing his footing for a second. He thankfully caught himself, shaking his head. "Wait, weren't there two dogs he had with him?"

"Yeah, what happened to the other one?" Jamal asked to the group. A few seconds went by with everyone sharing a puzzled shrug.

"Whatever the case is, this can't be good for our winning streak," Tug mused, turning his gaze back to the periscope and looking around.

"If we lose again, I don't think the Colonel's going to be pleased about losing to the same guy who lead the girls to victory last-  _Tug, will you go back to the mission at hand!_ " Miguel cut himself off to chide Tug, who quickly peered the view away from a certain purple skinned young woman.

"Alright, jeez!" Tug groused, almost being able to hear the others roll their eyes. "Besides, it's not like you wouldn't have done the same," He muttered, zooming out so that the whole group was visible.

" _Anyways_ , are you able to make out what they're saying?" Jamal pondered, peering over to the two overlooking the computer screen.

"Not quite yet, but it shouldn't take long to decipher their lips." Miguel shared a cheeky look with Baxter. "...unless Tug wants to key us in on what Sibella is saying, that is." A small round of laughter was shared with all but the blond in question, huffing and feeling his cheeks redden a little bit, not removing his gaze from the periscope, despite how much he wanted to glare at his fellow cadets. Suddenly, something caught his attention that made him raise a hand.

"Hang on, something is happening." With that, the others stopped laughing and returned to business.

"Whatcha see, Tug?" Grunt asked, leaning his body as if to try and look at the screen, though with no such luck.

"Woah..! Their Coach just... fell over!"

The others shared a confused look. "...what, did he trip?" Jamal asked, somewhat worried.

"No, just... on his own," Tug replied, looking away from the periscope.

* * *

"Raggy!" Scooby shouted, quickly going over to his best friend's side, the girls quickly joining him.

"Coach! Oh man, what the hell happened?!" Winnie yelped, looking over the unconscious body of Shaggy. From what they experienced, he was in the middle of telling them about what they should all work on, in terms of weaknesses when he just suddenly... fell over. He stopped talking beforehand, yes, but it was in the middle of a sentence. He wavered on the spot before falling backwards.

"Oh god! Oh no no no  _no_! Coach wake up!  _Wakeupwakeupwakeupwakeup_!" Phanty shrieked loudly, having grabbed a hold of Shaggy's shirt, starting to shake his body to wake him up. It had no effect, despite how loud she was being. The phantom was quickly pushed off of the coach by Sibella, giving a small glare to the girl.

"That's not going to work, it seems, Phanty. Besides, even if it, he'd just end up with a worse headache. He did land on his head pretty hard..." Sibella said, a delicate hand gently moving under his bangs and rubbing over his forehead. As she did, the large rough hand of Elsa reached down towards his neck, checking for a pulse. After a few seconds, she sighed and lifted her hand up, nodding.

"He's stable, but still, what caused him to black out like that? It's really unusual," She stated, watching as Scooby tried to lick at his face while Tanis gently shook him by his chest, looking her best to not sniffle.

"Coach..? Wake up, please..?" She tried, already looking like she'd break down. The little mummy did not want to see her Coach in this state, and she knew no one else would either. Elsa looked to her smaller friend in a worried manner, giving a comforting pat on her shoulder. Tanis peered up nervously between the others. "What should we do?"

"I dunno, but we'd better think of something fast!" Winnie said, pushing her head against his chest, making sure he was still breathing. Fortunately, he was, but the others agreed with her.

"I just wonder what knocked him out like this," Elsa said thoughtfully, looking over his body. Aside from some dirt scuffed onto his clothes from his training session, there wasn't a mark on him.

"More importantly, we gotta find a way to get him up and running again, or else the others will have our butts!" Phantasma suggested, floating around in place in an almost panicked manner.

"She has a point," Sibella said, doing her best to be the calm voice of reason among her friends. "It would not be nice for the others to see Shaggy in such a state." After a bit of thinking, Scooby suddenly snapped his fingers, an idea occurring to him. In an instant, he'd run back inside the school, leaving behind a cloud of dust.

The others were confused, not wanting to leave their Coach's side, but also curious as to what the Great Dane was going to do. They wouldn't have to wait long, though, as Scooby soon ran back out, a box in his mouth. Before any of the girls could ask what it contained, he set it down, reached in, grabbed a handful of whatever was inside, forced Shaggy's mouth opened, and stuffed the items down into his mouth. It took a few seconds, as he remained still on the ground, his mouth barely moving. Soon, though, he seemed to chew in a slow manner before swallowing the entire mouthful, eyes shooting open. Shaggy quickly sat up, groaning and gripping his forehead.

"Guh... like, what happened? I just suddenly passed out- d'oof!" He grunted, being cut off by the literal dog-pile. Scooby and Winnie had taken to hugging him tightly.

"Raggy! Ryou're awake!" Scooby barked excitedly.

The others were quite happy about this too, giving a sigh of relief, trying to peel the two off of him, which proved to be quite difficult. "Now now, give him room to stand," Sibella said gently, using a hand to effortlessly lift him back on his feet.

"Thought we lost ya for a second, Coach," Winnie said, peering up at him. Soon, Elsa seemed to idly look over Shaggy's body, looking for anything unusual. All she saw, thankfully, was a bump on the back of his head from where he fell. At this point, Tanis had taken to clinging to his waist, also peeking up at him with her large blue eyes.

"Glad to see you're awake! Please don't do that to us again..." Tanis said, receiving a small return hug from the taller man.

"Like, sorry girls. Don't know what came over me. One minute I'm fine, the next I'm like, on the ground!" He replied, looking between everyone. "Now, how about we return to, like, what we were doing? I think we still got a few minutes before dinner." Despite the fact that he had fainted, he still looked just as eager as ever to help out the others, acting as though he never even fell.

Everyone shared an odd look, unsure if they should even continue. "Erm... Coach? Are you  _sure_  we should continue?" Sibella began, tilting her head some. "That was a nasty fall you took."

"And it was out of the blue, too! Who knows when it'll happen again! You might fall on a rock and crack your skull! Or worse, fall in the moat and drown! Or fall in the moat and crack your skull on a rock before drowning!" Phanty rambled, staring to hyperventilate. At that moment, Scooby reached up and handed the phantom a paper bag that he had on him (for some reason). In return, she quickly grabbed it and began to breathe heavily into it.

Shaggy looked between everyone, his smile fading just a tad as Elsa looked to him. "It doesn't look like you've sustained any serious injuries. Still, I'd recommend not continuing on with the extra lesson. Sorry, Coach," She added in the end, feeling a tad disappointed in having to agree with the others. Extra physical training was quite enjoyable, but only if it wouldn't lead to anyone getting injured.

Winnie wasn't up for cutting physical education early either, but the health of everyone else came first. She knew everyone else thought the same thing. "There's always tomorrow! You'll feel better by then," the werewolf added, starting to lead him back into the castle. The others were following close behind, so Shaggy didn't have much of a say in this. Even Scooby seemed to nod, sticking close to his side with the others.

"Rit's for the rest, Raggy," He barked at him, making the lanky man sigh and shrug a bit.

"Like, I guess if you girls say so..." He replied, resigning to letting everyone pull him back indoors. At least he'd be on time for dinner. As they walked, Phanty floated beside Scooby, who was carrying the box in his mouth.

"Hey, Scooby, what was that?" She asked curiously.

The dog pulled the box out of his mouth with one paw, holding it up for the ghost girl to see. "Rooby Rax!"

The phantom sported a grin, raising a piqued eyebrow. "Scooby Snax? Wait... does that say 'dog treats' on it? Weird..."

"It's not any weirder from what we eat in the school," Elsa responded, turning to the others as Shaggy laughed shyly, seeming somewhat embarrassed.

"Perhaps, but isn't it still a bit... strange for a human to eat something like that?" Sibella mused, a hand on her chin as she eyed the taller man over. He seemed to have an iron stomach, so to speak.

"You're awfully weird, Coach," Winnie said, not hesitating as she unabashedly reached into the box, curiously taking a couple and nibbling on them. From the way her tail wagged, it was safe to say she liked them.

"B-but that's okay! Weird is good," Tanis replied, hoping that they weren't offending their dear coach with their comments. "Don't try to spoil your appetite, though. Dinner  _is_  almost ready," The mummy continued on.

At this, Shaggy smiled down to the small mummy and laughed a bit. "Like, don't worry about my appetite, Tanis. I've never met a meal I couldn't eat." With this, everyone shared a small laugh with him. Despite this, Sibella couldn't help but look him over from where she stood, feeling somewhat concerned.

While he was walking around just fine now, it was still quite worrying just how he ended up like that. Did this relate to what the girls learned earlier in class? It couldn't have, right? Then again, with how strange her dreams have been, it just may. A second thought occurred to her: maybe this had something to do with whatever happened between him and her father? While she didn't know the story just yet, it was still worth bringing up. Perhaps during dinner, she thought. The vampire wanted answers to everything going on, and it was best to start somewhere that she knew her coach could actually answer. If the dreams persisted, she'd let the others know, certainly.

Until then, she had to keep an eye out for Shaggy. After all, Sibella felt as though he's already done so much for the ghouls. She wanted to return the favor.

* * *

"...now they're leading him back inside the castle," Tug reported to the others as Baxter made sure to record everything.

"That was really weird..." Miguel said, scratching his head as he turned his attention away from the screen.

"Tell me about it. Who eats dog food?" Grunt said, looking a bit disgusted.

"I wasn't talking about the dog food, Grunt," Miguel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Tug had pulled himself away as well, starting to stand. "Whatever it was, they seemed to have it under control. He probably just fell ill. Or locked his knees while he was talking," He mused. The other cadets nodded along with him. They all knew too well the dangers of doing such an action while standing, as they all fell victim to it at least once.

"At any rate, I'd say we get back to the school before the Colonel catches us," Baxter said, pointing his finger back towards the building. With a nod, Tug stepped away from the contraption, Miguel doing the same. Grunt and Jamal began to gently and slowly retract the invention, making look about as big as a small book once they finished folding it up. With his foot, Jamal shoved it back into the hedges, unseen from anyone else. It would definitely be best to question these events on their own time before the Colonel lost their cool in front of them. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Sorry this took so long! Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas though, and I hope you all enjoy this installment! Also, don't be afraid to let me know what you think of the story so far and what you think I could do better. I think so far my pacing for the whole mystery part of the story is okay, but I would love anyone else's opinion on it. As always, thank y'all for reading and have a good day!


	10. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaggy and the gang meet up with Colonel Calloway to schedule the volleyball tournament.

**Scooby Doo: Monster Menagerie**

**Chapter 10: Preparations**

Dusk was coming to a close, which would soon welcome the dark night sky, the moon barely visible beyond a thick sea of clouds above. During this time, any occupants of either school that sat next to each other would be inside, keeping to themselves with dinner, studies, or any other interests. In the military school, Colonel Calloway would be studying over his calender. Unsurprisingly, each day would be completely filled with his neat, yet tiny, writing. Black, red, and blue ink would be used for reasons only he knew, for different situations.

Currently, he was searching ahead a month, looking for any open positions that he may schedule the annual volleyball tournament between the two schools. In his opinion, volleyball was a little bit... dated. Especially since the students who took part in it were now much older, and probably didn't have as keen of a liking to the sport. However, it was also tradition, and he himself didn't like to stray too far from the usual. After all, as a headmaster of a military school, it was his job to keep everything as orderly as possible.

His finger carefully moved from day to day, thinking to himself about which day could work best. After a couple of minutes, he reached towards a pen, resting on his desk, and began to write neatly into the box. Exactly one month from today, the day before Halloween. It would work perfectly. After placing his pen down and stepping back from his desk, he moved over to his door, lifting his hat and jacket off of the rack before him and putting them on. The Colonel began his walk towards the old mansion of a private school.

The man kept an even, brisk pace, standing up straight and looking professional. Despite having a plain, thoughtful look on his face, his brain kept going, as it often was. Calloway knew that it wouldn't exactly be enjoyable to visit the school, though not because of the school itself. He was quite used to the odd exterior (and interior, for that matter). Instead, he knew that the monster students inside would not be happy to see him. He was thankful that he did not have to teach physical education to them anymore, but that just lead to another question that he began to ask himself. Who was teaching them? That question never left his head, though due to the fact that he was already quite a busy man, he never bothered to look for himself.

Now that he had a perfect opportunity, though, he would finally get his answer. As the Colonel crossed the border between his school and Miss Grimwood's, his movement slowed to a halt, an eyebrow perking at the vehicle parked nearby. He remembered that the only other coach he could remember seeing there drove a red van. The van parked here, however, was a strange clash of bright green, robin's egg blue, and orange. A very... retro hippie feel to it. The name on the side of it was also brought to his attention, his eyes thoroughly scanning over it. 'Mystery Machine'? For some reason, the name was somewhat familiar. Where had he heard it before? Radio or newspaper, most likely.

The Colonel shrugged to himself and sighed gently, turning his attention back to the school. If it was the same guy, maybe he touched up his van with a new coat of paint? Or maybe it was a new van altogether. Maybe, he secretly hoped, it was a new coach as well.

After moving across the drawbridge, he reached the front door, rapping his knuckles against the door before waiting patiently. Eventually, the door would open, revealing the strange octopus butler. If it were anyone else, they probably would have been weirded out by such a sight. However, Colonel Calloway was used to the cephalopod butler, and merely greeted with him with a tip of his cap. Soon enough, the octo-butler gave a small bow of it's own, stepping to the side and allowing the Colonel in. Time to get down to business...

* * *

Despite Shaggy ultimately being okay after the odd incident with him fainting for no apparent reason, the news would still come as a shock to the others once they finally returned from the crime scene. The fact that Phanty seemed so nonchalant when she brought up the fact to them didn't do anything to soften the blow. It wouldn't take long before the rest of the gang swamped around the lanky man, regardless of how many times he told them he was fine.

After the fifth examination from Velma, Shaggy waved them off, beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed. "Like, c'mon guys! I've already been looked over plenty of times! Nothing is wrong!" He insisted, sitting at the dining table with everyone else, Velma having just stepped away from checking his head.

"There aren't any injuries, that's for sure," Velma said, sitting beside of him, looking over him in a thoughtful manner. "Still, it's awfully strange how you just fell over so suddenly like that."

"Maybe you're just a little overworked, Shag," Freddie suggested. "I don't imagine being a coach is all that easy."

"That's probably it," Elsa interjected. "If it's been awhile since you've done any actual teaching, Coach, it's safe to say that your body is trying to get used to it again."

The lanky man scratched his head, thinking a little bit. He didn't feel worse for wear when that happened, but he also didn't want to worry his friends any more than he already had. With a small grin and a weary laugh, he nodded. "Like, that's probably it. Having a class before dinner probably distracted me or something."

Despite a small wave of laughter among everyone, there were still a couple of people who were worried, though kept it secret. If Shaggy looked and felt okay, then there was no reason to worry right? It was still concerning because no one knew why. Googie, with a raised eyebrow, turned to the detective, who sat across from her, eyeing the other man over some. "What do you think, detective?" She asked in a quiet, worried tone.

He remained quiet for a bit, not looking at her. After a few seconds, his grin flashed and he merely shrugged, turning to her. "It might just be exhaustion, like they said. I'm not a doctor, so unless he's dead, I wouldn't have a clue," He chuckled. That statement did little to make her feel better. With an uneasy glance back towards Shaggy, she sighed and fixed her hair idly with one hand. Nothing to fret about for now, at least.

During their dinner of some sort of quiche, Sibella had decided to speak up about a topic that Shaggy had not elaborated on. "So, Coach, if it's no trouble, could you please tell us how you, Scooby, and Googie met my Father?" Shaggy glanced upwards in the middle of his bite, first looking to the imploring vampire and then to Googie, who was looking at him back. Scooby was also looking to her for affirmation, which she gave with a small nod, mixed with a shrug. The rest of Mystery Incorporated had already heard the story, but they tensed up, wondering how she'd react. The detective looked their way, an eyebrow raised. It was obvious he was interested in hearing the story as well.

The other ghouls were very intrigued by this development too. Phantasma, not wanting to turn down a free opportunity for a free story, perked right up, eyes glued to her coach as she rested her chin in her hands, waiting eagerly. Winnie also perked up, becoming curious. "Hey, yeah! What happened between you and Bella's dad?" She'd ask, her words slightly muffled due to the fact she was eating with her mouth full.

Everyone was soon watching him, silently urging for the story. Even Miss Grimwood looked expectantly to the coach, a small, knowing smirk forming on her face. 'Like, does she know? Or does she just like watching me react under pressure or something?' Shaggy found himself asking to himself. After setting down his fork, Shaggy cleared his throat. "Well, uh... like, here's how Scooby, Scrappy, Googie, and I met the Count..."

The next few minutes would be Shaggy retelling the story of how he became a werewolf, with Googie adding in some points from her perspective, with Scooby concurring. Just like before, reactions were somewhat mixed, though from the ghouls' side, the most palpable emotion would be anger.  _Especially_  from Sibella, who's facial expression barely changed. While she did listen with interest, her somewhat curious look became more unreadable and stone-faced. With how badly her hand was shaking, though, it was clear to say that she was not pleased. She made sure to put her dining utensils down, hiding her growing fury. The anger from a vampire was so feasible, you could cut it with a knife. Winnie, who was much less subtle, looked less than pleased by this. On one hand, Shaggy had been a werewolf. On the other, it was against his will. And for what? A dumb road race for monsters? If she'd have known that this was going on, she would have immediately gone to her Papa and told him.

Tanis listened to the story with her eyes wide, rapt with attention. She was clearly shocked and horrified that Sibella's dad would do such a thing. After all, she had met the Count many times before, and he had always seemed so nice and pleasant! Why would he do such a thing to their coach? She was thankful that it didn't seem to leave any lasting effects on him, at the very least. Still... being turned into a werewolf against one's will didn't sound fun.

Elsa, Phanty, and the detective seemed to share the general emotion of vast intrigue. In Elsa's case, she was mostly wondering how (and  _why_ ) the full moon could possess such powers to randomly decide when someone would become a werewolf under it. Was it even random? This was something she'd have to study about, surely. The detective's train of thought was more or less the same, minus the fact that his face was split into an expression of what could best be described as maniacal glee. To him, nothing was more fascinating to him currently than learning about gaining a werewolf curse without actually  _being_  cursed. As for Phantasma, her thought process didn't have as much depth as the other two. She was merely captivated by the amazing story the two were telling!

After a bit of time, Shaggy awkwardly ended his story with, "So like... that's it, I guess. All in all, a very weird story."

"I'm just glad that we don't have to see Dracula again..." Googie gulped, quickly turning her gaze to Sibella. "Um, n-no offense of course!"

Sibella didn't turn her gaze to the blond, looking as if she was doing everything to keep herself from flying off the edge, so to speak. "Oh, none taken, I assure you," She replied, her voice sounding quite cold. "I sincerely apologize about my Father. If I'd have known sooner..." The vampire quickly stood up, quickly turning away and moving out of the dining area. "If you all will excuse me, I have a letter to send to  _Father_ ," She continued, almost sounding as if she was suppressing a growl. No one dared to try and stop her, not even Miss Grimwood. The aura she was emitting was frightening enough as it was.

It wasn't until the room was one vampire short did anyone speak up anymore. "...well I know  _someone_  who won't be getting any Christmas cards this year," Daphne muttered, grinning a little at her own joke.

"Well, that was an awesome story, regardless, Shaggy!" Phantasma giggled. "It does suck that you all got kidnapped like that, plus having to go through with that awful race? My dad's very lucky he doesn't have to partake in that. Glad you all made it out okay and taught him a lesson or two!"

"If he  _did_  do something, though, I wouldn't have hesitated to teach him a lesson myself," Winnie huffed, growling some. She did flash Shaggy an apologetic look, though.

"All I know is, I have a very stern letter to send to my parents," Elsa lamented, deciding to keep her interests to herself. After all, it was clear that they had been through a lot, and being reminded of it or showing any levity towards it probably wasn't very polite.

"Same here!" Tanis interjected. "I can't believe Mummy-Daddy would act so mean for a race! He was no better than those Calloway boys!" She huffed, crossing her arms.

"Like, girls, relax! This all happened years ago," Shaggy commented, moving his eyes from one girl to the next. "I'm just thankful we don't have to go through with that again."

"I'm not willing to forgive Dracula just yet, but as long as he doesn't butt into our lives again, I'll be thankful," Googie sighed, turning her attention towards where Sibella walked out from. "Is she gonna be okay..?" She asked cautiously.

"Oh don't worry about her," Miss Grimwood said, waving her hand. "I don't assume she's going to do much more than send a very strongly worded letter to her Father." She took a sip of her drink, thinking a couple of seconds before continuing. "...however, if she remains in her room, I'd be cautious about checking up on her. A brooding vampire is one that is filled with emotions. Sibella will be ready to talk about her emotions when she feels like she can. Until then, we'll just have to wait."

Dinner soon ended afterwards, since everyone had finished eating. Just as the detective was about to question Shaggy about the whole race, he was saved when someone had knocked on the door, gaining everyone's attention. As the octopus butler walked himself to the door to answer, Freddie spoke up. "Who could be stopping by this late?"

"That's probably the Colonel," Miss Grimwood answered, a snort of disdain coming from a certain red-haired werewolf, who soon got up and began to head to her room. After a glare towards Winnie, she continued. "He's probably here to schedule the volleyball tournament, and meet up with his replacement."

"Like, I remember him. Is he still as stuck up as usual?" Shaggy joked, sharing a laugh with the headmistress.

"I doubt he's ever going to loosen up, Coach."

The rest of the Mystery gang decided to stick with Shaggy, curious as to who this Colonel was. The detective was going to join them, but was soon flanked by Phantasma, who eagerly suggested that he tell her about the crime scene they had investigated earlier. More specifically, the dead body. At first, Velma wasn't too keen on the fact that he quickly agreed to do so, beginning to head up the stairs after Phanty flew into the ceiling, laughing in her usual giddy manner.

"They wanted to help us out, right? Might as well share the details with those who are willing," He answered simply before heading out. Velma's intuition told her that the ghost girl asking about the crime scene would not lead to her helping with the mystery, but she decided against bringing that point up to him. Phanty was nice and all, but she was a loose cannon. The only thing more dangerous than one of them is two of them in the same room.

Miss Grimwood, Shaggy, and the rest of the humans seated themselves in the living room, watching as the octopus butler walked in with the Colonel, still dressed in his navy blue suit, medals His mustache was still long and stringy underneath his long hooked nose, although it was clear that age was starting to take it's toll on the man. Despite that, he still carried himself with immense dignity and pride.

The look of pride soon wore off as his eyes fell upon the group of humans, recognizing two specific ones out of the whole group. Mainly, the tallest one and his dog. The look on his face was comparable to one who had just stuck his nose in a garbage can. This look quickly went away as the man cleared his throat. "Coach Rogers. I see we meet once again," He began, offering a hand. Shaggy quickly shook it, smiling politely.

"Like, good to see you again too, Colonel," He answered. Afterwards, Scooby took the hand with his paw, confusing the Colonel, but returning it.

"Er, likewise." His attention looked around to everyone else. "Are these fellow staff members?" He asked, sounding quite perplexed, soon taking a seat that was offered by the butler.

"Oh no, Colonel," Miss Grimwood replied. "They're all here to assist the local town with a few... attacks that have been occurring there, lately. I'm merely allowing them a place to stay and work until they solve it."

"A pleasure to meet you, Colonel," Freddie began, pointing between everyone in the group. "My name is Freddie, and that's Velma, Daphne, and Googie." Everyone gave a small wave to the man, who saluted them back briefly as a greeting.

The Colonel would then look a bit apprehensive about the headmistress's comment. "I see... well, good luck with that, in any case. That's one good thing about being in the middle of nowhere. I do have to protect my students, as I'm sure you understand Miss Grimwood." After a bit, he cleared his throat and straightened up. "However, right now I am here to discuss our upcoming game, if that's no problem."

With a nod, Shaggy leaned forward a bit. "Like, what do ya wanna discuss?"

* * *

It took every ounce of self control for Sibella not to slam her door shut and let out a loud exasperated scream. Rather, she gripped her fists tightly and let out an exasperated groan. She absolutely could not  _believe_  the nerve of him! Hadn't he sunken low enough without having to resort to kidnapping people for his dumb hobby? The vampire stormed over to her desk, digging out a spare sheet of paper and reaching for a pen, starting to write a letter. Her scrawl was a bit messy, due to rage, but she didn't seem to care about that.

At least, she wouldn't care about it until she heard something clatter against her floor. Her hand froze in place as her eyes widened, her face turning from anger to fear. Another small clatter got her to turn around towards her coffin, seeing a suitcase tremble around some. Sibella slowly set down her pen and made her way over to the suitcase. It was still closed tightly from the day she first arrived.

As the vampire reached her hand out towards the twitching suitcase, it seemed to pause, as if expecting her. She hesitated, as if it was going to suddenly attack her. She quickly moved her hands to the clasps and undid them, slowly opening the case up. Her large eyes seemed to widen some more upon what she saw. She had almost forgotten she had packed this, or rather, she  _wanted_  to forget she packed this.

Without waiting a second longer, she grabbed the item in her bag before it could move around some more, clinging it tightly to her chest. This had to be the reason for all of her nightmares, right? Had to be. Sibella moved towards her door and quickly opened it, peeking her head out. No one was in the hall, and she could hear talking. One conversation was coming from Phantasma's room, though music would play out in between every few sentences. Good. That would keep her distracted.

It was better to be safe than sorry, however, so she decided to levitate, though just barely. It was best to make as little noise as possible. As she carefully floated herself down the stairwell into the foyer, she peered her head just barely into the living room. Miss Grimwood and the others were having a conversation with Colonel Calloway. A perfect distraction, though she knew he wouldn't be sticking around for long. She had to hurry and hide this... particular item.

Thinking quickly, she hurried off towards the laboratory. Despite the door creaking open some, it didn't attract anyone closer to her, so she hurried down further into it. She was greeted with the dark room, barely lit by small candles that never seemed to burn out. Sibella began to look around, trying to find the best spot to hide it. The first thing she did was look towards her desk. That wouldn't do, there wasn't anywhere to hide it with her desk. Sibella's eyes then darted towards the cauldrons. Nearby shelves and boxes kept ingredients for potion work, but all that would do was make a big mess. Besides, with how often everyone went over there, it wouldn't be long before someone found it.

She then turned to the bookshelves. Debatable, since no one's really looked through a book there in awhile. With the layer of dust masked onto the shelves, it would be easy to hide her item. It would still stand out, though, if she put it there. Moving her gaze to the side, she figured it out. Rather than hiding it  _in_  the shelf, she would just have to hide it behind the shelf. Thankfully, the shelves weren't pushed up too close to the wall, but it would still take a bit of effort in hiding it in such a place.

Sibella got to her knees and started to shove the item inwards. It was much tighter than it looked, but thankfully managed to hide it away, almost out of sight. If anyone bothered to get really close to the back of the shelf, they might be able to see it, but other than that, it was a pretty good spot.

A thought occurred to the girl as she began to levitate once more, starting to move back to her room. She could easily destroy it, as she had the capabilities. She shook her head upon thinking that, though, knowing better. First of all, it was her Father's, and despite the fact that she was still rather angry with him, this was a very important item for him to protect, and he didn't even know that she had taken it from him in the first place. Incurring the wrath of her father wouldn't do her any favors, especially since this item was incredibly important. And also very dangerous. The vampire quickly closed the door behind her and sighed, moving back to her desk.

'Hopefully the bad dreams will stop, at least,' Sibella thought to herself, continuing her letter.

* * *

"Burns  _and_  scratch marks?! Oh how gruesome!" Phantasma giggled madly, floating at least a couple of feet off of the floor, making the detective have to look up at her.

"Oh it was. Any hair remaining on him was smoking and singed so badly, I'm surprised he even had any hair," The man replied, grinning in an excitable manner. He did so love to share details of his investigations, even to a ghost that was just as crazy as he was. The man was leaning against the nearby wall, hands remaining in his hoodie pockets.

"How much blood was there?" The ghost asked curiously, her voice just as eager for more details.

"There definitely wasn't a shortage, though most of it was around the body, as to be expected," The detective mused, almost disappointed that there wasn't more.

This didn't stop the phantom from giggling crazily. "Eww, gross! I bet that whole place just  _reeked_!" She floated closely, face to face with the other man, both of them sharing wide smiles. "Tell me, was he missing any limbs? Fingers? Maybe something spilling out of him?!"

"Busted nose, though it was kinda hard to tell due to the fact that he had no face on him." The detective's grin seemed to widen in amusement as Phanty reacted in shock.

"Woooah! No face, really? I can't imagine being without a face!" Phanty spoke aloud, crossing her legs as she 'sat' in midair. "Whatever's out there, it must be mad as hell!"

"That was the case with the other one we found. No face, scratch marks, burns, all that jazz." He put his hand on his chin, looking marginally more thoughtful. "I'm not sure if that's a motive or not. All it proves to me is that this thing is persistent, whatever it is."

"Well, let's hope you and the others figure out what it is before it finds us! I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm safe, since I'm incorporeal and all that, but it still wouldn't be pleasant to have that face burner come around here," Phantasma rambled, shrugging and grinning.

"I'm sure we will. I believe we're getting closer." With that, he stood straight and turned his attention to the large organ in the room. "On a different note, I take it that's your organ?"

Phantasma brightened up, giggling madly as she floated to the organ, sitting herself down at the seat. "Yup yup! Well, sorta, anyways. Technically it's the school's and Miss Grimwood's, but she lets me play it! This is technically the music room, but I stay around here so much, it's practically my bedroom at this point!" After saying that, she began to play a small, haunting refrain on her organ. The man listened to it, smiling and enjoying the music. After a minute, she stopped and turned around, returning to laughing. "Do you play anything?"

The man merely shrugged, eyeing over the old, yet very intricate, detail of the organ. "Well, sort of. Not an organ though. Used to want to play in a band, so I learned guitar." At this point, he moved a hand out of his hoodie pocket, showing his fingers, which were very calloused and scarred. "I decided towards a different career choice when that didn't work out."

Phantasma eyed over his hands a bit before getting an idea. "Oh really? One second!" She soon got up and floated over to a large walk in closet, rummaging around. The man raised an eyebrow and watched her, curious as to what she was searching for. In a few seconds time, she came back, holding a dusty old acoustic guitar, which she quickly handed over to the detective. While it looked old, it was still in perfect condition.

After giving it a quick glance, he turned to look at the ghost girl, who was now eagerly watching him. It was clear she was expecting him to play. With a small shrug, he grinned and pulled the strap on, straightening out the guitar. He'd strum the strings a couple of times, using his other hand to tune. Once that was done, he began to play, shutting his large, owl like eyes. The song he decided to play was also a bit of a haunting refrain, with almost a Spanish feel to it. He wouldn't keep the song to simple strums and chords. He wanted to play.

He kept going for about a minute as well, stopping and looking up at the Phantasma, who soon began to giggle and applaud for him. "Wow, that was... awesome!" She fixed herself on the seat, her body facing the organ once more, but turning her head to look back towards him. "Say, wanna try and see if we can work out a duet together? Or I guess in my case, a ' _boo_ -et?'" She laughed at her own pun, which the man followed with a wide smile.

"Sounds like a scream," He answered, giving a few idle strums to the old guitar.

* * *

"The 30th of October will work just fine, correct?"

"Like, sounds good to me. What do you think, Miss Grimwood?"

"Works perfectly for us."

The meeting was moving to a conclusion as the Colonel confirmed the date. For the most part, no one else really had anything to add, and merely observed. Thankfully, the meeting wasn't too long or boring, lasting about five minutes.

"Excellent. I will be expecting you," He concluded, standing up and offering another handshake to Shaggy, which he took.

"Sounds cool, man. Like, may the best school win!"

With a somewhat smug grin, the Colonel replied. "Don't you worry, Coach Rogers. We intend to." With a small tip of his cap, he bid the others good day and left the building, heading back to his own school. Scooby and Shaggy scratched their heads as Miss Grimwood spoke up. "Well, I'll be expecting you to whip those girls into good shape, Coach! After all, you did such a good job last time, I assume it'll be no problem."

"Yeah, Shaggy! It shouldn't a problem. They're already really talented, and with you helping, they're bound to beat that military school," Daphne concurred enthusiastically.

"I have to admit, I didn't believe it at first when you said you used to be a coach. But now that I've observed how you do it, I think it's safe to say that we all have a lot of confidence in you two and the rest of the girls," Velma added, smiling at gently at him.

"Reah, Raggy! Re got this!" Scooby said, wagging his tail as he beamed up at his best friend, who returned the smile.

"Wow, like, thanks everyone! I know we'll all do the best we can. The girls are already showing lots of improvement. Like, we'll win for sure!" He added, chuckling some.

"That's the spirit!' Freddie beamed, adding in a thumbs up for good measure.

* * *

_..._

_I see now._

_The skinny one._

_He has the most experience out of everyone else._

_I am quite lucky to have gazed inside of his mind._

_..._

_But this is only the beginning for me._

_I know more than before, but not enough._

_Never enough._

_If I want more, I must delve deeper._

_But who?_

_..._

_Oh._

_Perfect._

_They won't suspect a thing._

_I will have to wait._

_It will be torturous._

_I do not like waiting._

_No no no no._

_But it must be done._

_Until then, I must wait._

_..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: To be honest, I don't like how short I made this chapter. It took me forever to figure out any sort of direction, and even then I don't think I added in enough. Writer's block sucks, so sorry if I made you all wait for a short chapter that probably isn't written well. Regardless, I hope you all enjoy it! Leave a review on what you think of the story so far and what I could be doing better. Until then, thanks for reading my works!


	11. The Tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Mystery Inc. gets comfortable around the school, the Grimwood Girls and the Calloway Cadets finally hold their volleyball tournament.

**Scooby Doo: Monster Menagerie**

**Chapter 11: The Tournament**

For the next few weeks, it seemed as if the whole investigation slowed to a halt. Not that anyone was to blame, of course, but after searching through the town and the school grounds where they were allowed, there weren't a lot of places to look around. For the most part, the group felt as if they had as much information as needed, and all they really had to do was narrow everything down.

This wasn't seen as too bothersome by anyone, however. For the most part, everyone started to enjoy sticking around in the old, spooky school. Everyone was starting to grow on each other, as well as find other activities so that no one was ever bored. The added company of humans was quite nice, in Miss Grimwood's opinion. She never really understood why monster-kind tended to look down on humans in the first place, as well as vice versa. It was clear to see that with time and patience, the two groups could get along quite easily.

It wouldn't surprise anyone that Velma often spent her time reading from a book from one of their many shelves, making herself familiar with some history. From time to time, she'd help the detective with his research, but she would also make sure to spend time with Elsa, who appeared to match her intelligence quite well. The bookworm of Mystery Inc. would want to know more about how Elsa came to be, and the golem girl thankfully didn't mind the curiosity of the human. Freddie would also spend some time with Elsa, mostly due to the fact that she shared his love of building stuff.

It wouldn't take long before he would begin regaling her in a few stories of their past mysteries and how they came to solve them, which of course always ended the same way. Still, it never seemed to bring down the natural energy Freddie had, nor did it ever seem to bore Elsa, who was always eager to learn more about what humans could accomplish. She had to admit, even if they had evil plans, humans could get a lot done if they so wished...

Soon, Freddie would start telling the other girls about these mysteries as well, usually with the help of the other members. These stories often took place at the dinner table, the attention of everyone often drawn to the blond haired leader. Tanis seemed to be the most intrigued in them, always making sure to listen up and pay attention. She always enjoyed stories, and she found herself more and more fascinated with the fact that her human friends always managed to find situations like these and successfully right them. Of course, the other girls found this admirable as well.

When she wasn't studying or having her classes, Tanis often found herself hanging out with one of the humans, finding herself wanting to get to know them better. More often than not, she would hang around Googie, who found herself growing closer to the mummy in a sisterly fashion. The two found the other one really nice and sweet, clearly enjoying each others conversations and company. It wouldn't be unusual to find the two of them sharing facts about the other's culture. Either that or they would be sharing gossip about certain topics that they wouldn't dispel to anyone else.

After having sent her strongly worded letter to her father, it wouldn't take long before Sibella got a response back. Of course, it wouldn't provide her with all the answers she needed, and was very vague as she read it. At most, he apologized about how terrible the race that year went, as well as voicing his understanding to her displeasure of his two hunchback minions. Of course, he'd mention to not bring up this whole situation to her mother, which only made her sigh in frustration. If she wouldn't get answers the easy way, she'd have to wait for his visit when it was open house...

For now, though, Sibella seemed to be in better spirits. She would spend a lot of her time studying, though most certainly wouldn't mind it whenever Winnie, Daphne, or Velma decided to pop in and have 'girl time'. They'd trade stories about what they would go through when they were at home, with both the vampire and the red-head having a similar childhood of being raised by a rather rich family before growing up with friends who helped bring them more 'down-to-Earth'. Daphne often stated how if it weren't for Mystery Incorporated, she'd probably be as stuck up as Dracula himself. Sibella laughed with her, concurring.

In the vampire's mind, removing that item from her room seemed to clear up her mind. When asked by anyone if she had been having any weird dreams lately, she would always answer in the negative. As far as she knew, no one managed to find the secret spot she hid the dreaded thing. She figured that once her father came by for the open house, she'd bring him down the laboratory to both yell at him and return his rightful property to him. It was for the best that he get it back as soon as possible, anyways.

As for Winnie, it wouldn't come as a surprise that she was most likely to be doing something to try and work off her boundless energy. Of course, it would almost always be with Shaggy and Scooby, though the other girls would sometimes join in. After all, they all did need to continue training for their upcoming volleyball game. Whenever Winnie wasn't practicing, she would be receiving some help with her studies from other students, which almost never seemed to work. Her attention span was quite low and she got bored easily. As for Shaggy and Scooby, they would tend to spend a bit of one-on-one time with the students as they requested. They felt that as their coaches, it was their responsibility to help them out.

Phantasma adored hanging out with everyone, randomly floating in and out of conversations on a whim. After awhile, everyone got used to her brand of humor and her sudden need to be a part of everything. Of course, she found herself spending the most time with the detective, whose line of work she found interesting. Mostly due to learning about the types of corpses he's seen, but he never seemed to care about this and didn't mind her company. Unless it was during a meal time, he was most likely to be found in the laboratory, off in the corner as he did his research.

The detective was extremely erratic in how he managed to do everything, but with his 'organized mess', as Velma liked to put it, he seemed to be figuring everything out at his own pace and would always answer questions to the best of his ability. Such an odd case required a lot of his focus, which often meant he would go days without sleep. While this worried the others, he insisted that it was normal for him. Whenever he wasn't in the lab, he would often be reading or, more likely, doing 'jam sessions' with the blue ghost. Lately, he's been taking to giving her singing lessons, to the chagrin of everyone's ear drums. At least she's been getting better at it... very slowly.

Matches, for the most part, was quite dormant around the newer house guests, in that he wouldn't try and burn them each time he saw them. It was definitely an improvement, in some sense. Things seemed to be working out just fine, in Miss Grimwood's opinion. Their investigation was going well, her students were learning a lot, and she couldn't be prouder of them. As she took another sip of her tea, she began to wonder just what everyone else was doing at the moment...

* * *

It would turn out to be another great day of training for the ghouls, as evidenced by the fact that they were all in high spirits (metaphorically of course, unless you were referring to Phanty). With the tournament being tomorrow, Miss Grimwood allowed as much time as they needed to prepare for it, so it wouldn't come as a surprise that the whole group entered the building a few hours later than usual. As far as Shaggy was concerned, all of the girls had improved considerably, that he knew without a doubt that they would win their volleyball game this year for sure.

Naturally, Winnie would be the one to request a bit more time to practice, though her coaches made sure to tell her that it wouldn't be good to overdo it. "I like your fight, Winnie, but like, we don't want you all to be too tired or sore to play tomorrow. Stay focused, but relax a little as well." Shaggy explained, heading inside with the rest of the class.

"We were only out there for three hours..." Winnie groused to herself, not seeing much of a reason to end training now. However, she knew better than to argue, so she went along with everyone else.

"Perhaps on your own free time, you could see about coming back outside?" Elsa replied, looking to her furry friend.

Before Winnie could respond, though, Sibella spoke up. "Only if you don't plan on blowing off another study session, Winnie," She began, looking to her. "After all, you were the one who wanted some help with math, correct?"

Winnie sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know, Bella..." She didn't like to be reminded that she was falling a little behind in her academic studies, but facts were facts. Since Sibella was one of her closest friends, as well as the local 'math nerd', she decided to come to her for some tutoring. Truth be told, it was helping a little bit. Emphasis on little. She still found herself growing rather bored with formulas and equations and lectures and blah blah blah...

At the very least, Sibella was willing to help out, which was why she suddenly gripped her wrist and walked her up the stairs for their study session. With a slightly disgruntled werewolf in tow, the group was shortened to three monsters, a human, and a dog. At this point, Daphne had left one of the rooms upstairs and was making her way down it, momentarily pausing to greet the duo heading up before continuing her path down.

"Hey guys! How was the training session?" She asked to the remaining group. To her, they all looked pretty dirty, though it seemed that Shaggy and Scooby were the only ones who looked fully worn out. Shaggy's usual messy mop of hair was even more unkempt, with his face red as it looked like he had been doused in sweat. Scooby looked thoroughly exhausted, as he had taken to sprawling out on his stomach, groaning out a little. As for the others, they also looked a bit dirty, but otherwise quite fine. Phantasma, unsurprisingly, looked the same as she ever did.

"Like, it went really great!" Shaggy replied, wiping his forehead with his hand. "All the girls are in tip top shape for the game."

"We'll win for sure," Elsa replied, flexing a very large bicep proudly, Phanty giggling and giving two thumbs up as Tanis nodded in agreement.

"Well that's great!" Daphne smirked a little, looking to the two coaches of the girls. "I suggest getting a shower in, though."

"Ryeah, re stink," Scooby said, snickering afterwards. Shaggy nodded and laughed, giving himself a bit of a whiff.

"Like, good point. Let's go get ourselves cleaned, Scoob," Shaggy suggested, turning to everyone before heading up. "See you guys later! Miss Grimwood let you have the rest of the day off, right?" After a nod of affirmation from the other girls, he would smile and give a small wave to them. "Cool! Like, good luck tomorrow girls!" He'd say before heading up to his room.

This just left the other four, looking to each other to continue their conversation. "So uh, any new developments happen while we were away?" Tanis asked the redhead politely.

Daphne gave a simple shrug and looked to the mummy. "I'm not sure, honestly. Velma's been reading and studying monster literature for awhile, and I think Freddie's been in the laboratory tinkering around with another trap of his." She paused, as if to think. "I think Googie said she was going to help Miss Grimwood with the cooking. As for the detective, I haven't seen him leave the lab in hours, so I have no clue what he's up to." She concluded, ending her last sentence with a bit of hesitation. She didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing that she had no idea what he was really doing or what his developments were.

Of course, it wouldn't take a detective to notice Phantasma perk up upon the mention of her new best friend, grinning from ear to ear. "Ooh! Then I'll have to go check up on him and see! Scuse me, girls," She giggled, giving a wave before flying off into the lab. At least, that's what the others assumed, anyways.

Tanis giggled a little on her own, a big smile on her face. "She seems to stick awfully close to that guy," She said, trying to stifle herself so she wasn't laughing too loudly.

Elsa shook her head, her own amused grin on her face. "They are both quite strange, aren't they? It would make sense that they would get along so well together." Daphne didn't seem to respond, though mostly because she was thinking. Before she really had time to formulate her thought, though, Elsa seemed to head towards the lab as well. "In any case, I'm gonna go see if Freddie needs any help. I'm sure he'd appreciate the extra set of hands."

The redhead snapped out of her thought process momentarily, giving a small wave and a smile. "Well, good luck! Dealing with him when he's building can be a task in and of itself," She told the golem girl. After stepping out, Daphne and Tanis decided to walk into the main room, where Velma was sitting on a couch, reading a book. Truth be told, Daphne thought she had exhausted the entire library that the school had to offer by now, but it was clear that was not the case. Either that or she was rereading something. Daphne didn't keep track, so she had no clue.

It wouldn't stop the two from sitting down on the couch. Velma briefly looked up from her book and smiled to the two. "Hey, guys. I take it practice is over?" She asked to the mummy girl, who replied with a nod.

"Yup. We were given the rest of the day off, so I hope you two don't mind if I stick around!" Daphne gently patted her head, eliciting a giggle from the mummy.

"We don't mind at all!" Daphne replied eagerly, Velma also responding with a wordless nod, eyes still glued to the book before her. A quick glance at the cover would show that Velma was reading  _Early Witchcraft._

Tanis also noticed this, as she spoke up again. "That's a neat book you've got there! I've read that one a few times myself. Does it happen to involve the investigation you all are working on?" Velma's fingers seemed to fidget a little bit, which Daphne knew was a small tell for her. Without her needing to say anything, she knew for a fact that she was definitely researching this for the sheer fact that whatever was going on could be the source of some sort of witchcraft. Both of them knew about the witch the girls had to deal with though, and chances were she didn't want to scare Tanis.

Rather than keep it secret, though, Velma decided to be as delicate as possible. "Well, um... sort of. The evidence has been leading us to believe that, in a sense. We're not positive it is actually witchcraft, but we do know it's... not pleasant," She'd reply. Velma paused a couple of times in her explanations, as if trying to find the right words to say as to not overwhelm her.

Thankfully for both humans, Tanis didn't seem too disturbed by this revelation. Instead, she seemed to give a bit of a knowing nod. "That's understandable. Witches do tend to be attracted to extreme powers, aren't they?" This momentarily surprised the other two, but they quickly realized where she could have learned this information from. A certain blue chatterbox of a ghost came to mind...

Neither one of them would be irritated with this fact, however. If they were bound to figure it out eventually, at least they were somewhat at ease with it. With a small, almost disappointed sigh from the mummy, she continued on. "I was hoping we would be over the problem with witches, though." She sat straight up, as if she was just caught doing something embarrassing. "I-I mean, not all witches are like that, certainly! I don't wanna make that assumption." She began to fidget with a loose bandage on her arm, now a little uncomfortable. "After all, Miss Grimwood knows magic too, and I'd  _never_  say anything bad about her."

Once again, neither of the two girls were too surprised with the fact that Miss Grimwood knew magic, herself. She was quite subtle about it, but their observant eyes were keen to recognize it. Shaggy and Scooby has known the woman the longest, so they casually accepted that fact. Velma, being the smart and observant one, was the first to really notice it. Daphne and Freddie eventually came to terms with it soon after, along with Googie once she got comfortable. While not openly saying it, it was an obvious conclusion that the detective knew as well. For the most part, she didn't seem to use her powers for a whole lot, at least as far as they were aware.

"Trust me, we wouldn't either," Daphne said in a comforting manner, having grown close to everyone here. Velma's mind wandered a little, however. Sure, Miss Grimwood was nice, but she was also quite... reserved. The bad thing about people who play everything close to the chest is that you have no idea what they're intentions are until you figure them out the hard way. She put these thoughts to the side for the time being, knowing that their investigation would hopefully make things more clear, and hopefully show that the woman was nothing more than a pleasantly weird magic user.

Velma, for the time being, closed her book and set it to the side. It was quite clear Tanis knew a lot about this sort of subject, and learning about it first-hand would be much easier than reading about it. "If you don't mind me asking, but would you mind telling us more about witchcraft and how the culture behind it?"

Naturally, Tanis beamed at this. "Oh of course! I suppose I could start about the time that witches were actually considered a part of monster-kind, which was also around the time period of the Salem witch trials back in the colonial period..."

* * *

"Do you suppose an electromagnetic field could help spring the mechanism much faster?"

"Sounds plausible, but where would the magnets be located?"

"At first I thought about placing them at opposite ends, but figured that they would get damaged. Instead, I was considering placing them in the middle on either side, that way it would close at a faster pace, as well as keep the trap shut tight."

"That actually sounds very doable. The only problem I see is the fact that it will be tough to re-open once it's shut, due to the strong pull of the magnets."

"I was thinking about that, too, and my solution would be a switch that would turn the magnets on and off..."

Phantasma watched from a short distance as Freddie and Elsa exchanged ideas. The two of them were looking over what they called a "prototype", but in all honesty, to the ghost it looked like a bear trap with curved clamps and no teeth. Overhearing the two, they would reveal that the bigger version would have a wire cage attached to either side, so whatever was inside wouldn't easily break out, nor would it be injured. She giggled to herself, flipping her hair out of her eyes. To her, it looked quite silly! She did rather enjoy watching the two get along, though. Heck, people watching was one of her favorite hobbies! In a matter of seconds, though, another new found interest soon garnered the attention of Phantasma.

Her body floated back over to the small group of desks, which were rearranged in a manner to make it look as if it were one big table. Hunched over it with both hands on the 'desk', the detective was looking over a bunch of papers that he had written on. Various lists and pictures were drawn and organized in a way that he and Phanty understood. Since he often tended to ramble to himself while working, Phantasma would be listening nearby and taking in everything. It was strange to think about, but the two had a very similar way of thinking and analyzing everything. 'Organized chaos', as Velma would most likely put it.

She had learned through the detective, and eventually the others, that whatever attacked the last two victims was definitely some form of demonic entity. With that being the case, she didn't know if an odd electro-thingamabob would be able to actually capture and hold it in place. With only a small after thought of hoping they wouldn't find out the hard way, she began her conversation with the strange man.

"So, from what you've said and gathered, it certainly looks like fire is somehow involved, but the bad thing is, I don't think that really narrows anything down! I mean, don't demons come from Hell, the land of nothing but darkness, fire, and evil and all that junk? If we're trying to figure out what  _kind_  of demon did this, it could take forever!" Phantasma rambled on, raising a rather fair point, in the detective's opinion.

"That's what I'd like to find out, honestly," He began, his eyes not removing themselves from the strewn out pages before him. "In this case, a motive is quite helpful, though without solid evidence of one, we've appeared to have reached a wall." He stood back up, keeping his semi-slouched figure going as he placed a hand over his face, deep in thought.

The ghost matched his expression for a moment, crossing her legs in mid-air as she thought about it as well. As hard as she tried to keep her attention on the topic at hand, her flippant attitude and lack of focus made it increasingly hard. In her own mind, she knew she had no real idea of what was going on, and from the looks of it, he didn't either. At least not currently. After spending most of her time with him, she came to learn his various tics and actions. She would've known if he was keeping something hidden or secret from the others. While that may have been the case for a couple of things, she knew better than to pry too hard from him. Sure, one or two questions tryin gto provoke those topics would come up, but if he didn't yield, she wouldn't try to force it out of him until he felt like he was ready to do so.

At the moment, though, it was clear he was as stumped as she was. Before either one of them could be somewhat disappointed, the man removed his hand and turned to the ghost, grinning as wide as he ever did. "So, how's the vocal exercises coming along?" He asked her, finding himself genuinely curious as to how she was shaping up. With a loud giggle, she flipped over in midair, looking almost like the Cheshire Cat in the manner that she did it.

"Oh terrific! I've been practicing every night!" Phantasma answered. The detective nodded along, already aware of that fact. In fact,  _everybody_  was. It was hard to ignore the wails and screeches, especially when they constantly break the windows. Thankfully Miss Grimwood could manage to repair them with her own magic, though she made sure to kindly, yet firmly, tell her to practice outside. Needless to say, it helped only somewhat. While the windows remained unbroken, the occupants of the house could definitely hear her vocalize.

Freddie and Elsa shared a similar grimace to each other as she said this, having been woken up at least twice by her practicing. How the detective didn't lose his hearing or his resolve was a mystery in and of itself. In the detective's opinion, though, she was definitely improving. A few of their 'jam sessions' would certainly help her grow more comfortable with using her voice when mixed in with music.

"And it certainly shows," He responded to her, his grin cracking into something of a smile. Phantasma cackled and returned the smile to him.

"Thanks! Hey! Sometime we should come up with a duet! I'd be an absolute  _scream_!" While the detective beamed at this, Elsa and Freddie secretly hoped that their duet would be less cacophonous than what they've been hearing.

"Why wait? After dinner, how about we go to the graveyard and give it a shot?" He continued, growing excited with his ghostly friend. Soon, the ghost was right in his face, just as eager as he was, if their shared facial expressions were anything to go by.

"Sounds like a plan, Freaky!" Phanty cackled gleefully.

"Great! For the time being, let's get back to the case at hand, shall we?" With that, the two moved themselves back over the table, the mumbles of the strange man continuing on. Elsa and Freddie looked back to each other, moving into low whispers so that they wouldn't be overheard by the other two.

"Well that was... weird," Freddie said, giving a glance towards them before going back to his work.

"Great minds think alike, I suppose. Both are smart, in their own strange erratic way," Elsa continued, moving her hands to fiddle with a mechanism.

"Sure looks like. Personally, with the two of them distracting each other, it'll at least keep them out of trouble... for the most part."

In Freddie's own opinion, the detective was still a bit too odd to him. Despite being quite intelligent and observant, he was still on the edge about having the detective as a part of the team. Was he nice? Somewhat, though it was definitely overshadowed by his creepy aura. Phanty was almost the opposite, wherein the more she tried to be scary, the more she was bound to crack up and lose the entire act of terror. Still almost made Freddie hit the ceiling when she decided to prank him by suddenly phasing her arm through his chest.

At the very least, maybe spending more time with him would cause her to be too distracted to do that again. For now, he returned to the prototype in front of him. He liked Elsa, as he found that she was as good with machines as he was. He just wished that she wouldn't try and use electricity for  _everything_  she made. He didn't want to learn the hard way that she often channeled that current through her own body.

Still, it was quite useful that she could merely cause an electrical charge with just her hands, which became useful as she finished up an electromagnet. The only problem was that it got stuck to one of her neck bolts, which Freddie knew better than to touch himself. Thankfully, she could pull it off herself, since she was already quite strong. Onto the next step, then...

* * *

Matches snoozed peacefully, curled up in his usual spot: right next to the stove. Considering that he had already lit it aflame, he didn't have much else to do besides wait for another order from Miss Grimwood to make sure that the fire didn't die out. While the headmistress was grinding...  _something_  in a mortar, Googie was standing just a few feet away, helping chop some fresh vegetables. Obviously not something for the monsters, but lately Googie has been helping Miss Grimwood with the cooking in general.

She explained to the strawberry blonde that after spending so many years cooking beastly food for monsters, her palate was altered, for lack of a better terms. Because of that, she finds it somewhat difficult to cook human safe food. It was quite fortunate that Googie knew her way around a kitchen, much like her ex-boyfriend and his dog. She often joked about the fact that her cooking skills were the reason that Shaggy got so attracted to her in the first place.

Speaking of which, it wasn't long before the two ever-hungry members of Mystery Inc. entered, both curious as to what was on the menu for dinner tonight. Well, that and to hopefully sample something delicious, but that was often a given with these two.

Googie looked over to them and smiled, returning to her task. "Hey, boys! How was practice?"

"Like, it was great!" Shaggy replied, sneaking a small bite of the zucchini that she was chopping. "Lots of improvement on their end! I don't think I have much else to teach them, to be honest."

"Well that's really good to hear!" Miss Grimwood exclaimed, glancing over in their direction with a small, pride filled smile on her face. It's not like she was surprised, but it was still nice to hear that her girls were doing amazingly.

"Ruh-huh! Rhwat's cooking?" Scooby asked, licking his chops eagerly as he too managed to sneak himself a bite of zucchini. Googie smiled down to the dog, not really caring a whole lot.

"I was planning on doing some stir-fry, if you two don't eat the ingredients before I cook them!" Googie answered, raising an eyebrow as she jokingly accused the two. It wouldn't be the first time something like that has happened, of course, so she was half hoping that they wouldn't do it again this time.

Shaggy chuckled, holding his hands up as if he were caught doing something. "Sounds good! Relax a bit, like, we'll stay out of your hair. Your stir-fry is like, to die for!" Everyone seemed to snicker at this joke, save for the blonde, who rolled her eyes. She still had a small grin growing on her face, though she wouldn't dare admit that she found his pun funny. Googie knew that the girls were rubbing off on him in some fashion, and this was evidence.

"Ha ha ha..." Googie laughed dryly. "Anyways, I'm actually glad you're here, Shaggy. Do you think you could help me with the cooking?" Always wanting to be involved when it came to food, he nodded and got to the left side of her.

"Sounds like a plan! Like, what do you want me to do?"

"Well, you could help me with the veggies if you want! And Scoob, could you please go wake Matches up for me real fast? I need the stove turned on." With that, Shaggy began to chop while Scooby nodded, heading over to the sleeping dragon. Not thinking much of it, Scooby gently began to shake the dragon.

"Ratches... rake up!" He said, trying to urge him awake. It didn't seem to do a lot of good, although Matches did seem to snort a little in his sleep, breathing out a big puff of fire. Scooby yelped out and ducked beneath it, breathing out a small sigh of relief. Miss Grimwood shook her head as she sighed a little.

"Honestly, it's so hard to get him to do anything nowadays." The headmistress turned over to him and cleared her throat. "Matches dear, be a good dragon and go light the stove for Googie." With another small snort, the dragon finally rolled open both of it's yellow and red eyes, huffing a small amount of smoke after having been woken up. Still, he slowly got to his feet and waddled over to the stove. After the latch was undone and opened by Googie, the dragon puffed out a bit of fire, which was enough to light it.

Googie closed the door and smiled to Matches as he made his way back to his spot, eager to continue his nap. "Thank you, Matches," She'd coo to the dragon, as if she were talking to a kitten. With a small snort, he flopped back down to his stomach and instantly fell asleep.

"Like, maybe he'll be more energetic when dinner's finish," Shaggy said, finishing up the squash he was working on cutting up.

"Oh, definitely. He never misses an opportunity for my stirred fly stir-fry," Miss Grimwood replied, casually going back to her mortar and pestle.

Googie, Shaggy, and Scooby shared a look of disgust, not saying anything else and returning to their insect-less cooking.

* * *

With the sun beginning to set, dusk was starting to make it's presence known, the last bits of sun dying down, giving way to darkness and letting the moon start it's ascent. While not a full moon, it wouldn't be but a few more nights before that was the case. A curly haired werewolf eyed the window a little bit, her clawed finger drumming a little against her book.

Sibella had the patience for a lot of things, but she often found her irritation grow much quicker when Winnie started to do stuff like that. With a small clearing of her throat, it quickly got her attention. "Winnie, could you please refrain from doing that? I'm trying to concentrate."

"Yeah yeah, sorry..." Winnie mumbled, turning her bored gaze back to the book. Much like the past few minutes, all the words and letters and numbers on the page were starting to melt together into one big unintelligible mess. Her pencil remained dormant in her clawed hand, not writing down any notes. Sibella drifted her gaze back over to her, slowly shutting her book and giving a small sigh. It was quite clear that Winnie was not interested in studying in the slightest.

"It seems something else is on your mind. Would it have to do with the tournament with the cadets tomorrow?" Sibella asked gently, an unreadable look on her face.

The werewolf sighed and shut her own book, stretching her arms. "Nah. Not really, anyways," She began. After scratching her ear a little bit, she turned to the vampire. "It's just... well, I don't know what it is, but I've been feeling... weird."

Sibella gave a confused look to her friend, a bit of concern mixed in. "Weird? How so?"

"It's sorta like... a sense of dread, I guess? It's like something is about to happen, but I don't know what." She looked down into her lap, growing a little more worried. "I get the feeling that everyone else is feeling it, too. Not just me."

Winnie looked back up at the vampire, with a half-expectant look on her face. Without even asking, Sibella knew that Winnie needed some form of confirmation about her worries. She couldn't blame her, though. After all, she was feeling a slight twinge of.. something uneasy. Like Winnie, though, she had no idea what it was for. She gave a small nod in agreement. "Strangely enough, I understand what you mean. It's not strong, but it is there. It's odd, because I haven't had a bad dream at all lately."

"Maybe whatever it is will go away," Winnie said, idly messing with a bit of hair. "Could have something to do with the odd monster attacks, I guess."

"It must be," Sibella concurred. "In any case, it seems as if the others are getting closer to some form of conclusion. By the time they solve this, everything should go back to normal," She conclued with a warming smile, showing off her fangs. The werewolf grinned back, nodding with her.

In her mind, Sibella had no clue if what she said was true or not. It could happen, but with that book still at the school, maybe they couldn't? Should she come forward about this? She knows for a fact she's going to return the book when her father visits for the Open House. By then, hopefully everything will be sorted out. Hopefully.

Before the two knew it, the torso of Phantasma suddenly floated up from the floorboards. "Boo!" She'd exclaim, giggling wildly as the two flinched. Before the two could reprimand her, though, she continued. "Heya girls! Sorry to interrupt, but Miss Grimwood says dinner's ready!" With that, she quickly exited. The two blinked and looked to each other.

"...guess it's time to go eat," Winnie said, chuckling a bit as she got up. Sibella soon followed her out of the door, their previous concerns pushed to the side, for the time being. They had a big day tomorrow, and going to sleep on an empty stomach wouldn't do.

* * *

At this point, it was tradition for the two schools to meet up on Grimwood's school grounds. There, a large spider had just climbed down from two old, wooden poles, having created a fresh, clean net of it's own webbing. The Grimwood girls were waiting on the field, feeling a little nervous, but also pumped up. Shaggy, Scooby, and Miss Grimwood stood near the crowd while everyone else remained sitting on a few nearby wooden benches. Prepared for the occasion, Googie sported two purple pom-poms, ready to cheer on the ghouls.

Across from the group, Colonel Calloway and his group of Cadets made their way over, marching in a straight line. The girls shared an unamused grimace with each other, all five of them ready to break their losing streak to these high and mighty douchebags. Scooby gave a salute upon seeing the Colonel, while Shaggy offered him a hand. He accepted it, a small prideful grin gracing both of their faces. Afterwards, he gave a handshake to Miss Grimwood as well.

"Good afternoon Colonel. I hope you and your boys are ready," She greeted.

"I should say the same thing to you, Miss Grimwood," He replied, hands behind him, looking as proper as ever. "My boys have been training for the past few weeks for this tournament, and we intend to win again." While the two headmasters got into a bit of playful banter with each other, the two teams met up with each other. Their confrontation would be a little less friendly, though.

Anyone watching would notice that both groups had lined up, facing their respective opponent. For a little bit, it almost seemed like they were engaging in a battle of wits, almost daring the other to say something first. Apparently, to these two schools, volleyball was a serious ordeal. Shaggy and Scooby watched from a small distance away, hoping that nothing would escalate from this very strange stand off.

Sibella stood in the middle of the ghouls, acting as the leader, or in this case, a team captain. Tug stood opposite of her, being in that position for the boys. Him and the others wore a similar uniform of shorts and a yellow top. The girls... wore what they usually wore. Phantasma made a bit of a show of it, sporting a sweatband around her head, for some reason.

The blue ghost would also be the one to break the tension. Of course, she'd do it in the best way she knew how. Over the top humor. "Y'all ready to get  _schooled_? We're gonna whup your  _butts_  so bad, you'll practically be handing the trophy over to us! Y'all better start begging now, because we're on our A-game today, and if you think y'all can just bust in here and show us up, you got anotha thing comin'!" She rambled on, doing a variety of hammy poses, trying to look more 'cool'. In the end, she looked ridiculous, but she didn't seem to care about that. The cadets looked rightfully confused at this, though, looking between each other as if mentally asking what she was doing.

As for the ghouls, the only one of them that didn't look exasperated with her shenanigans was Tanis, who gave a confused and embarrassed smile. Elsa was giving her a strange look with an eyebrow cocked, while Winnie had her palm up against her face. Sibella wouldn't even look at the ghost, feeling embarrassed about her strangeness. Rather than point that out, however, she merely continued from there.

"...even though the mood is now dead, she's has a point," She began, recomposing herself to give an intimidating smile to the cadets, flashing her fangs. "Don't expect us to go easy."

"Yeah, we've been doin' nothing but training!" Winnie cut in, also having recomopsed herself into her usual cocky self.

"Like we haven't?" The largest cadet, Grunt, retaliated. "The last few years we played ended with us winning. We'll do it again this year, too."

"We've shown improvement," Elsa snapped, a bit of a grin forming on her face. "Meanwhile, your skills have been stagnant. With the rate it's been going, there's no way you're going to beat us."

At this, Phantasma spoke up again. "Ooooh  _snap_! You heard it from her, fellas! Better have the skills to back up those words!"

A visibly annoyed Grunt was about to say something to the ghost, but Tug butted in before he could. "Relax, Grunt. We'll have time to prove them wrong when the game actually begins," He said, turning his attention to Sibella. She raised an eyebrow at him as he went on. "May the best school win."

"Thanks," Sibella replied, giving a challenging smirk. "We intend to." With that, she and the rest of the girls turned way, heading to one side of the court. The boys moved to the other as the others got into position. Miss Grimwood and Colonel Calloway would act as the referees, as well as keep track of the score. Shaggy remained standing off court on the girls' side, ready to give advice if needed. Scooby would act as a "ball boy", by catching and throwing the ball to the serving side as needed.

With a blow of the whistle, the game began with Calloway giving the first serve from Jamal. Since it went straight for Tanis, everyone thought that it would hit her to the ground, or she would move. Instead, she easily and effortlessly bunted the ball upwards, as if it were nothing. In the next half a second, the orange blur of Winnie had jumped up and easily spiked the ball over the net, earning Grimwood their first point.

The wooden bleachers of Mystery Incorporated cheered for their monster friends, with Googie waving her pom-poms excitedly. The Cadets were quite astounded by this sudden movement. They obviously weren't kidding about this being their A-game. The Colonel stared with wide eyes as the boys tried their next serve. Fortunately for them, they actually managed to rally the ball somewhat. Unfortunately, though, it wasn't long before Sibella gracefully returned the ball towards them, shooting it at an angle so that the volleyball landed a good distance away before one of the boys could save it.

The game continued on, with the scoring varying a little bit. It was clear the ghouls were pulling all the stops in their skill this time, quickly racking up the points. Naturally, the boys scored a few times as well, making everything even. On the benches, the gang talked amongst one another in a quiet tone, as to not disturb or distract the players.

"Wow, Shaggy really wasn't kidding when he said they were showing improvement. They're like machines out there!" Freddie said, watching the werewolf dive into the ground for a quick save.

"Probably helps that they're also capable of so much, being monsters and all," Velma replied, watching them with a keen eye. Everyone was quite impressed, unable to look away.

"Let's just be glad that they're on our side," Daphne said to the two others. At this moment, the serve would move to the ghouls' side of the court, starting another round.

"Well, it's mostly about discipline out there, isn't it?" Googie said, joining in on the conversation. "I mean, I imagine that's how it is with every sport. With Shaggy pushing them to their full potential, it was only a matter of time before they revealed just how skillful they could be."

"Probably also helps that they all look up to him so much," Velma continued, glancing over at their coach, who was shouting encouragement to the school.

"Keep hitting em high, girls! Like, we've got this game in the bag!"

Freddie nudge her shoulder a bit, snickering a bit. "Feeling jealous?"

Daphne rolled her eyes, but tried to hide her own growing smile as Velma grunted, elbowing him back a big harder. "Oh please, Freddie. I'm not so shallow, y'know." Did she have an interest in Shaggy? A little, but she knew better than to let feelings like that overwhelm her. Relationships were more of an afterthought for her, anyways. Besides, they were his students and he was their coach. There was a very high chance none of them harbored any romantic feelings towards the other.

The game went on for at least a half hour, the clock ticking down the final few minutes. "With the score tied, this could go either way," the detective noted, speaking for the first time since the game started.

"Let's go, Grimwood! You can do it!" Googie cheered, giving a vigorous shake to her pom-poms. Soon, Tug gave the final serve to the ball, aiming it right towards Sibella. Instead of sending it right back, though, she passed it over to Elsa, who hit the ball straight up in the air. It kept going until it was out of sight from everyone.

A pen dropping could've been heard, even outside. Everyone on the court stopped what they were doing to look up, confused and wondering where the ball went. Only the golem girl kept watching the sky with conviction. Everyone on the wooden bench looked confused too, sharing glances of puzzlement. Scooby looked so high up into the air, that he fell over on his back, and Shaggy was merely biting his nails, unsure of what was going to happen.

As the clock ticked down to it's final seconds, the ball finally came back into view. Elsa grinned to herself as the ball slammed against the ground... on the cadets' side. Since it was close to the net, nobody had made a move towards it until it was too late. The Colonel blew the whistle right afterwards, staring in awe. "That's... the game!" He began, still flabbergasted. "Grimwood wins, 15-14." Shaggy wiped his forehead before laughing and jumping for joy, Scooby soon joining in by holding onto his hands.

Naturally, the others joined in on the cheering, with Googie throwing her pom-poms in the air. The ghouls joined by their coaches on the side lines, laughing and cheering with joy as they all got pulled into a large group hug. As for the cadets, they were all looking between each other, feeling a mix of disappointment and puzzlement, still confused over how they managed to let the ball hit their side.

The Colonel and Miss Grimwood shook hands, the former of the two handing the trophy over with a small, humble smile. "Well, fair's fair, Miss Grimwood. Your girls have certainly shown how capable they are at the sport."

As she accepted the trophy, she merely shook her head. "You mustn't let me have all the credit, Colonel. After all, it was Coach Shaggy and Scooby that honed in on their talents. If anything, they're the ones you should be congratulating."

He moved his gaze over to the group hug, the others surrounding them in praise. Even the strange man he didn't recognize was smiling ear to ear for the school. He scratched his head, feeling somewhat... embarrassed. He didn't know why he let it bother him so much, but it was clear that Shaggy had a great connection with the class. Where he failed as a coach for the girls, he had succeeded. "...perhaps some other time. They seem preoccupied for the moment." He lifted his hat to her, straightening up. "Until then, I bid you good day. Congratulations again for winning." With that, he turned around by his heel and moved towards the boys. "Come, boys, it's time to head back."

After a bit of hesitation, the boys fell into line and followed, still having trouble swallowing their own pride. Tug gave a final gaze to the girls before turning back around. He should've felt downtrodden, but in all honesty, he didn't feel too bad about it. They both played a good game, and in the end the girls ended up winning. He certainly couldn't deny that they all knew what they were doing. Especially Sibella. He cleared the thought of the purple vampire out of his head quickly before he started to fall behind. The last thing he wanted was for the others to bust his chops about it again.

Miss Grimwood walked towards the large group, who quickly separated as she handed the trophy off, letting all five of the girls hold it at once. "Great job today, girls! You've all done excellently, and this trophy is now rightfully yours," She said, beaming quickly proudly at all of them.

"Thank you, Miss Grimwood!" Tanis replied, using both hands to hold it up by the base.

"We owe it all to our coaches, after all," Elsa said, making Shaggy rub his head, blushing a little in modesty.

"H-hey, don't worry about it! Like, you girls are the ones who won," He replied, using his other hand to scratch a happy Scooby's head. At this point, the floating hand had brought over an old fashioned looking camera, quickly setting it up on a tripod a few feet away from the group.

"Oh, don't be modest, Coach Rogers. Come now, everyone join in for a group photograph!" She replied, gently positioning everyone into frame. The rest of Mystery Incorporated was about to step away, but stopped in place as soon as Miss Grimwood grabbed Freddie's wrist and pulled him back in.

"Woah..! Uh, we didn't do anything, though!" He exclaimed, looking confused. Soon, she was pushing everyone else back towards the group.

"It just feels... right," Miss Grimwood responded, giving a knowing wink to the group.

"Yeah, you guys are great!" Winnie howled as everyone was positioned.

"Never a dull moment if you all around!" Phantasma laughed, floating around everyone before getting back into place.

"Trust me, we don't mind in the least," Sibella said, smiling warmly to them all.

The detective looked slightly baffled, his creepy grin looking more awkward as he turned to the shorter woman, who was pushing him in as well. "Uh..."

"Yes, that includes you, detective," She tutted, waving a finger up at him. With that, everyone was intermingled around the trophy. While it was tight, they all smiled for the camera as it flashed a picture. Pushing the thought of how a camera could catch a vampire's complexion to the side for now, Velma couldn't help but think of how sweet it was that they were included in this group.

She didn't think about it, but with how much time everyone's been spending with one another, it just seemed... natural at this point. None of them were really scared of the girls, and had gotten used to the oddness of the entire place in and of itself. Even with how skeptical they were at first, with how scared Googie initially was, and how odd the detective was, they all found a way to fit in. Ironically, it was by  _not_  fitting in. They had all gotten to know each other, and they viewed each other as friends.

Velma's previous question got answered as a photo was soon printed from the camera. It must've been enchanted, because the picture began to develop almost instantly. The hand floated to Miss Grimwood, who gently held it up for everyone to view. Miss Grimwood stood to the far left of the picture, with Tanis kneeling next to Scooby and Matches. Daphne was shown next, who was standing next to Sibella, who was thankfully shown on the picture, further cementing the camera's magic abilities. Shaggy was standing next to her, though he was being pulled down with Googie, as Winnie stood in between the two of them, an arm wrapped around them in a rough, friendly embrace. Next up was Freddie who was giving a big genuine smile to the camera. Elsa was to his right, and Velma joined her other side. The detective was on the far right, giving a peace sign with a more natural looking smile, looking as friendly as he ever had. Phantasma was floating above Velma and him, poking her head in between them and also giving a peace sign, winking and sticking her tongue out for the camera.

After admiring the picture for a bit, the entire group went inside, carrying the trophy behind them. Miss Grimwood gave the promise of making a huge, glorious feast to celebrate their victory, and that classes for the next few days were postponed.

Even though Mystery Incorporated went to the school to solve a mystery, they all felt like they were at home. They didn't want to leave any time soon. If it turned out that their investigation ran longer than they thought, they wouldn't care. They were happy right where they were.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Well, this took way longer than it probably should have. Life keeps me super busy, etc. etc, you've all heard this before probably. Still, I feel bad for making so many people wait so long for any sort of update. That's why I figured I'd make this one a little extra long for everybody. Sorry if it feels like mostly filler, but I tend to like writing scenes like that. Adds to the characterization, y'know?
> 
> Anyways, now that I have this chapter done, I'm gonna work on the next one for my other Scooby Doo fic (Do You Still Remember Us?), which is also gaining some ground on here as well! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter too! Keep leaving those reviews and comments for me, and have a great day!


	12. Open House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Grimwood's Open House finally reaches it's arrival, the girls work on their gifts to their fathers.

**Scooby Doo: Monster Menagerie**

**Chapter 12: Open House**

Once everyone was back inside of the mansion, a small party of sorts was hastily cobbled together to celebrate the victory of Grimwood. Ms Grimwood admitted to everyone that, while they wouldn't have a major feast until Halloween night, she didn't want to downplay the accomplishment of her students. Therefore, she decided that she would let everyone set up the Halloween decorations up a little early this year.

While Ms Grimwood was preparing a nice dinner for everyone, a few others were at work making the whole place look even spookier than it usually did. Old candelabras made from bone and skull candle holders were placed around, illuminating everything in an eerie orange glow. Skeletons were hung from the ceiling, like a macabre wind chime. Extra care was taken to filling every corner of the ceiling and the floor with cobwebs. To make things look slightly more festive, a few orange and black streamers were hung up as well, intermingling with everything else that was hanging from the ceiling.

While half of the occupants helped decorate, the other half would sit at the table and carve large jack-o-lanterns. A few of them were of typical triangular design, but there were some pumpkins that were carved in a very eloquent, creative manner. Naturally, they would be making terrifying faces that would no doubt scare someone of lesser resolve. The smell of pumpkin permeated the air, which only made the two resident foodies even hungrier. They weren't alone, however. After all, an exciting game of volleyball made  _everyone_  hungry, especially to the players.

Once the last jack-o-lantern was placed as a centerpiece on the massive dinner table, everyone was soon seated and treated to a wonderful mutton meal. For the monsters of the school, the vegetables would be withered and soggy, but for the humans, the sides would be more edible and palatable. Bread was also provided to everyone, although it was a bit too stale for the members of Mystery Incs' taste. At least none of the food would make them sick. At least, not from the food alone. Everyone was quite ravenous, and spent most of their dinner session eating.

After dinner, everyone spent some time hanging around the table, deciding to relax and hold a conversation about the major event that would be happening tomorrow.

"So, what time does this party start, anyways?" Fred asked the monster group.

"Should be around dusk, when the sun starts to set," Elsa replied, giving herself some time to determine an actual time. "...I'd estimate around seven or eight."

"Don't know if any of our parents will be here at exactly that time, though," Winnie continued on. "They tend to travel as a group, so hopefully we shouldn't have to wait long."

"Wait... your parents?" Velma cut in, a bit of concern showing on her face. She wasn't the only one, naturally, as quite a few of the others were not too keen on being in the same room as large, protective monster fathers.

"Yup! It's a sort of tradition at the school that we have an Open House night to show our parents how well we've been doing and the projects we've been working on," Tanis chirped nonchalantly.

"I assume that they won't mind a bunch of humans hanging around their daughters?" Daphne asked curiously. The few seconds of silence that followed was not a comforting sign to any of them, the ghouls taking some time to look between each other, as if scanning for a unanimous answer that didn't come.

Sibella finally turned back to the group, a small smile on her face. "We'll make sure they stay in check, should you stick around," She explained.

"Like, do the coaches need to stay? Because, like, they already met us last time, so..." Shaggy began, nervously looking for a way out of a reunion with their dads. While he wasn't on any bad terms with most of them (emphasis on most), he and Scooby knew that the two of them would be more comfortable hanging out in the Mystery Machine until they left.

"Well of  _course_  you're gonna stay!" Winnie butted in, smiling wide enough to show off her rows of sharp teeth. "Once our dads hear about us winning again, they'll be dying to meet you two!" Shaggy and Scooby gave a mixture of a whimper and a nervous chuckle.

"Like, knew we weren't getting out of that easy.."

"What about the rest of ya?" Phanty asked, tilting her head. "I mean, I guess you don't  _have_  to stick around, but the party would be super fun! The more guests, the more entertaining it'll be! Everyone knows that." At this point the humans looked to each other, wondering how each other would answer.

It would come as no surprise that the detective was the first to answer in the affirmative. "A chance to meet some of the biggest names in monster mythology? I'm certainly coming," He replied, smiling his wide, off-putting smile.

"I'll think I'll come too," Velma stated, adjusting her glasses idly. "Like the detective said, some first hand experience meeting some fully grown monsters under peaceful circumstances would be useful for research."

"Like, let's just hope they're feeling peaceful this time around," Shaggy mumbled.

Ignoring her friend's statement, Daphne spoke up. "Getting in good graces with them would be helpful too! After all, if things to happen to get rough, it'd be nice to know that we'd have some good fire power on our side."

"Plus, we could use a little downtime," Freddie said with a wry grin. "I think a party is the perfect time to relax a little."

While everyone else seemed on board, Googie still had her reservations. Sure, the girls were nice, and she figured that they wouldn't let their dads do anything dangerous to them if they could help it. Regardless, she knew that Dracula would cause some issues if he were to show up and see three fourths of the group who managed to outsmart him.

When Sibella noticed that Googie was looking apprehensive as she sat in silence, she decided to speak up. "...Googie, I assure you that if my Father steps out of line, he'll have to deal with me personally."

"Plus, he'd have to be pretty dumb to do something anyways!" Winnie butted in. "He may be aware of you all, but he'll have some respect. After all, you three were some of the few mortals who managed to outsmart the old bat." The werewolf used her pinky claw to pick in her ear some. "Some sort of old vampire etiquette thing, I think."

The blonde looked up and gave a small sigh, letting herself smile a bit. "You have a point, I suppose. Plus, it'd be pretty depressing if I was the only one who didn't show up. I'm in too," She replied with a genuine smile.

With a few pleased replies from everyone, Miss Grimwood soon came back into the room, a curious smile adorning her face. "Well, seems like this year's Open House will be a bit more active, huh? In that case, I have a lot of cooking to do," She chuckled to herself. "Also, don't stay up too late, everyone. Even though there aren't any classes tomorrow, I still need a bit more help around the place."

"Don't worry, Miss Grimwood, we'll make everything perfect!" Tanis beamed.

"Very good!" The headmistress replied. "Now, I won't keep you much longer. You're free to do as you wish." Soon, everyone dispersed to their various rooms. The ghoul girls would go off to start on a small gift that they would give to their fathers, while the humans would take some time to relax, in some sense.

It wouldn't be deemed a surprise when Phantasma immediately flew over to the detective, pleading for his assistance. "Hey, Freaky! Okay if we meet out in the graveyard again?" She'd ask him, floating above him. A few others turned to look at each other, a couple of eyes rolling. Tanis even hid her face in her bandages to help stifle her giggle fit.

Neither the detective nor the ghost noticed, however, with the man shrugging and grinning up at her. "Of course. Another lesson, I presume?"

"Weeeell... sorta!" Phantasma cackled. "It'll be easier to explain outside. The walls have ears, y'know!" She'd continue on, starting to head out towards the back exit. "C'mon, let's go!" With another small shrug, the man started hobbling after her.

After a little bit of time, Daphne sighed and shook her head. "I hope those two aren't up to anything questionable..."

"Knowing those two, who knows?" Elsa stated blankly with a shrug of her own. As she made her way to the laboratory, she continued on, "I wouldn't worry too much, though. If they were doing anything odd, Phanty wouldn't be able to keep it a secret."

"I suppose that's true," The red-head stated, beginning to head up the stairs.

* * *

There was very little light out in the graveyard, with only the waxing moon and the lights from the tall mansion being the only source of illumination. The only way the detective could even see anything was because of the blueish glow coming off of Phantasma as she floated around. Due to the little amount of light, his face would light up in an eerie way, making him look even more menacing than usual. Of course, his intentions would be far from malicious.

"A duet?" He asked, an eyebrow raised in interest.

"Yeah! Every year on Open House, I perform for my dad by playing the organ. Now that I've got some vocal strength under my belt now, though, I was hoping to sing with my playing as well!" Phanty replied eagerly, sitting herself on a nearby gravestone. "With you singing along with me, we'd sound awesome!~" She sang, drawing the last word out some.

The detective gave a small chuckle, nodding. "Yes, and I will say you've improved quite a lot. However, since you say it's for your dad, I think I'll let you go solo." He responded. This didn't seem to please the ghost, who started to pout.

"Aw come oooon! Our voices work super well together, especially with those last few songs we went along with!" She pleaded to the man.

At this, the detective rubbed his chin with a hand of his, thinking. After a few seconds, he looked back to her. "Tell ya what. You go solo tomorrow night and we can duet the next time we get a chance to perform for others. How's that?"

Phantasma thought a little to herself as well, face scrunched up in thought. "Hmm... deal!" She giggled, floating in the air right next to him. This time, she looked a little more reserved, which was a very strange look for the extroverted, hyperactive ghost. "...do you think I'll do well on my own?"

"I think you'll do wonderfully," The detective replied, flashing a genuine grin to her. After he did so, he removed his phone from his pocket, unlocking it and scrolling through his music, as he usually did with her. "Now, let's see if we can find something you'd wanna perform..."

The blue ghost looked over his shoulder, looking through various albums and titles with him. Due to the two of them hanging out quite a bit, she was already familiar with his personal taste in music. It was very varied, changing from old rock, to a bit of country, lots of punk, and a lot of music that could best be described as 'gothic'. Of course, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

After a few seconds of scrolling, Phanty would suddenly point at the phone screen, shrieking out, "Oooh! How about that one?"

With a loud laugh, the detective turned with an amused grin. "Definitely  _not_. While I imagine everyone's faces upon hearing that song would be priceless, I'm pretty sure they would all not be amused by your choice.  _Especially_  your dad."

Phanty giggled heartily, rolling her eyes as they kept going with their search. "Spoil sport." It wouldn't take long before she pointed her finger once more. "Maybe that one? That's a pretty one!"

With a nod, the man turned to his ghostly friend. "I think that one would work much better," He replied. "I assume you already know the music and the lyrics?"

To this, Phantasma nodded eagerly, looking proud of herself. "The music for sure! I'm  _really_  good at playing by ear!" She exclaimed. "Of course, I could use a little refresher on the lyrics. Could we give it a listen first?"

"Not a problem," The detective said, tapping on the screen and starting up the song. He leaned against a gravestone as Phanty sat upon one opposite, the two listening to the music.

* * *

In one area of the large old school, there was a large room that the ghouls often went to for any sort of arts and crafts. It was especially helpful whenever the girls needed a large space for bigger projects, especially if there was a tendency that there was going to be a bit of a mess. Fortunately for them, Miss Grimwood had invested in enough artistic supplies that the girls shouldn't run out of anything.

Currently residing in the room was Sibella, who was finishing up a very lavish and exquisite oil painting that depicted Castle Dracula. The amount of detail that the young vampire had put into it was astonishing, considering that she was doing this strictly from memory. She was adorned in a smock, with some old newspapers underneath her, as to lessen any chances of making a mess.

Not too far away, Winnie was standing at a craft bench, chiseling away at a wooden block. At the time being, she was only halfway done, but from what she had accomplished so far, it was clear that she had a vision in mind. With one tongue hanging out and one eye open, the werewolf carefully chiseled away at the wood, doing her best to be as delicate as she possibly could (which was no easy task, knowing the wolf in question). Naturally, she would be trying to carve out a bipedal werewolf.

Lastly, to finish up the triangle of crafting monsters, Tanis would be seated at a pottery wheel, her foot steadily pumping away to keep it spinning. Much like Sibella, she was wearing a smock, as well as a pair of old gloves. After all, wet clay was very hard to get out of bandaging, and too much water could damage her wrappings. It was better to be safe than sorry. Despite having a slight disadvantage, due to the gloves, the mummy still managed to make a nice looking urn. She was currently smoothing and evening out everything so that it looked more professional. Tanis planned on painting it tomorrow, once it was finished baking in the stone kiln (which was thankfully located in the farthest corner of the room, as to not light anything else on fire).

Matches was sleeping soundly next to the kiln, ready to light it up whenever it needed to be. For now, he snored gently, not caring that he wasn't being needed at the time being. The only girl that wasn't in the room, aside from Phantasma, was Elsa. However, the other girls knew that whatever gift she had in store, she would rather make from the laboratory.

To help break the bout of silence, Sibella sighed and looked over her current work. "It's a shame the others couldn't stay behind to watch. I feel like they'd be amused to watch us work like this," The vampire began.

"Yeah, y'know how mortals are," Winnie replied, not removing her attention from the wood statue before her. "They get worn out easier than monsters."

"We all did have a big day today," Tanis responded, dipping her fingers into a nearby bowl of water before returning them to the urn she was crafting. "I don't think it'd be a bad idea if we all wrapped up what we were doing so we could get some rest as well."

For the first time in a half hour, the werewolf turned her eyes to the mummy, a bemuse grin on her face. "Was that pun intentional?"

"Not really," Tanis giggled gently, shrugging. "But it works, doesn't it?"

"You do have a point, Tanis dear," Sibella purred, setting her palette and brushes down, stepping back to admire her work. "If I keep refining every small detail on this, it will take  _years_  for it to dry."

Tanis's foot slowed down, the wheel turning to a halt as the mummy turned to also look at the vampire's painting. "Wow, that's amazing! And you did that with no reference?"

"When you've lived there for as long as I have, it's hard to forget what it looks like," Sibella said, shuffling the smock off of her.

Winnie, gave a small snort, grinning as she kept chiseling away at her wood block. "You and me both. The lupine form is natural to me. Literally," She laughed. Soon, the mummy would use a wooden peel to transfer her finished urn to the kiln, gently shoving it in before shutting the door.

"Matches, if you please?" She asked the dragon.

In response, he would open one of his large eyes, peering up at the mummy. He didn't seem bothered by her request, though, as he soon turned his head towards a small opening at the bottom and puffed out some small breaths of fire, quickly lighting it up. "Thank you!" Tanis said, beginning to remove her gloves as she walked back towards her friends. "It should be finished by tomorrow morning." The short mummy ended her sentence with a yawn, stretching her back some. "For now, I think I'll turn in for the night."

"Likewise. What about you, Winnie?" Sibella asked her furry friend, who was still concentrating on her wooden project.

"You two can go on ahead. Shouldn't take too much longer for me to finish up the body," The werewolf said, giving a quick puff to blow away any dust and shavings on her station. As Tanis untied her smock, Sibella raised an eyebrow, smiling gently.

"Try not to do another all-nighter this time, Winnie. I doubt Miss Grimwood would be pleased to find you asleep in here."

To this, Winnie rolled her eyes, giving a small sneer. "Yeah yeah. I'll make sure to go to bed soon,  _mom_." The werewolf retorted. Sibella rolled her own eyes, but still looked somewhat amused.

"Don't be so rude, Winnie dear," The vampire replied simply, starting to walk out with Tanis. "I'm just looking out for you is all. Good night, now."

"Night, Winnie!" Tanis said, waving as they headed out.

"See ya," The werewolf replied, continuing to work.

It was about another half hour to an hour that Winnie worked, the only source of light a single candle that was close by. Even Matches had left the room a few minutes prior to find someplace more comfortable to sleep, leaving the wolf all alone to her work. In her own opinion, she was doing a great job thus far. The blocky look she had beforehand was now refined to have a more wolf like shape. With the base finished, she reached for the finer chisels, ready to do the finer details.

The only noises that could be heard was the gust of wind going on outside, as well as the floors creaking as the old house settled. It relaxed Winnie, even if it was seen as unsettling to anyone else. However, the wolf's ears soon perked up as all of these noises seemed to... stop. It wasn't as if there was a small pause in everything. The air was still and stiff, the scent suddenly stale, yet unknown to the werewolf's nose. She pried her attention away from her work, suddenly on edge as her fur bristled up in an uneasy manner. Something wasn't right.

Noises didn't just stop all at once for no good reason. Her ears swiveled in every direction, desperate to find some source of noise. Scooby's snoring, Phanty's singing,  _anything_. Her eyes fell upon the lit kiln, her eyes wide as can be. Despite a fire roaring inside, she could not hear it. What was even weirder is that she couldn't even  _smell_  it. To make matters worse, she got that dreaded sense that could only be described as instinct. Her sixth sense was going berserk. It was telling her that there was something right behind her. Her fight or flight instinct locked up, and she had no idea why.

As the feeling of something growing closer and closer grew stronger, Winnie knew she had to do something. Just as her eyes began to drift, her ear twitched.

"Gah!" The werewolf quickly clapped her paw against her left ear, wincing in pain. Her ear had popped. As Winnie dug her finger into her ear, trying to get it readjusted, she felt her sense of hearing get back to normal. Or was it ever abnormal? Winnie couldn't tell anymore. She quickly looked around, only to find nothing, even with her heightened senses. The werewolf let out an exhale of breath that she didn't realize she had been holding until now.

After a couple of moments to regain her bearings, Winnie looked to her nearly completed wooden sculpture. She turned her yellow gaze to the door and let out a sigh, standing up and stretching. "...maybe I'm tired," She mumbled to herself, making her way out to head to her room. She knew that her ear popping was no big deal, but Winnie knew better than to stick around, just in case there actually was something around. After all, her senses didn't just flare up like that for no reason.

"I'll just do the final details tomorrow," She yawned.

* * *

The next day, things would start out as a strange mixture of hectic, yet relaxing. Because of the fact that there were no lessons, everyone was a bit more laid back. Of course, with the fact that there was still a big night ahead, there wasn't much downtime at the beginning. To Miss Grimwood, there were still plenty of spots in the house that needed to be "tidied up". Most of the humans helped out in these situations, as the ghoul girls still needed preparation time to finish up their gifts for their fathers.

Every now and then, the group of mystery solvers would take a peek at what the girls would be working on. Naturally, they were all quite impressed with what the girls came up with. Tanis had finished painting her urn, giving it a lovely Egyptian design. Sibella's painting was very lovely, and Winnie's statue was very good as well, as she had just finished up with the finishing touches that she didn't do the night before.

Due to Phantasma wanting to keep her performance a 'secret' until later into the night, the only one who was actually familiar with what the ghost was singing was the detective. Of course, they would all hear her do vocal exercises every now and then. As for Elsa, she definitely took a huge step into the macabre.

At first glance, her invention looked like nothing more than a sewing machine that looked as if the metal had been stapled and stitched together. As Fred pointed out, however, there was a lot more added to it, keeping it from being a normal sewing machine. For one thing, there was a very strong electrical charge, which was being carried by yards and yards of tightly coiled copper wiring. One unlucky stray finger into the circuitry, and any living person would be fried alive before dropping to the ground dead. Another detail that would have easily been missed had it not been pointed out, was the fact that the three needles that hung from the machine were made of bone. Finger bones, to be exact.

In the center of it all was a beating heart, pumping away furiously as it was conducting the high amount of electricity. How it didn't manage to explode into a gory pulp was beyond anyone. What made the whole thing a lot more gut-wrenching, however, was how Elsa decided to demonstrate her freaky contraption. With her right hand, she'd casually lift up a large meat cleaver, before bringing it down onto her left forearm, easily cleaving it right off of her arm. The small group gasped loudly as the sight continued. Shaggy and Googie had to look away, Scooby fainted, and all of the others couldn't remove their eyes off the sight. Thankfully, since she had no working circulatory system, no blood came out.

Seemingly pleased with everyone's reactions thus far, Elsa sat herself down at her work station, placing both her amputated arm and her, now forearm-less, stump below the needles of the sewing machine. She used her free hand to turn a variety of knobs before pulling a large switch at the end. With a loud crackle and hum of electrical current, the machine sprung to life. The needle worked quickly and forcefully, though the golem girl showed no signs of pain as the needle jabbed stitches into her arm. In no time, she turned the machine off and turned to the crowd, holding up her reattached limb with a satisfied smirk.

"While I prefer to do all my sewing by hand, this machine will be useful for my Dada, should he be too busy to find time to sew up his own parts," She concluded, giving an appreciative pat on the metal invention.

Velma, Freddie, and the detective moved forward, all three of them wanting a closer look. The others decided to stay as far away from the thing as possible, lest they end up with about 20 stitches stabbed into their arm. Daphne would, however, lean to Shaggy, an eyebrow raised. "...dada?"

"Don't ask me, like, she's always called him that," He answered simply with a small shrug.

As Elsa let the three others look over the instrument, Velma turned to the ghoul. "Looks like you're a fan of using body parts, huh?"

"You could say that. Around here, they're easy to come by." Elsa answered.

"Don't you suppose that using human parts are kind of... insensitive to the dead?" Fred asked cautiously, rubbing the back of his head. He was all for building and engineering, but something about using leftover parts for a machine was off-putting to him.

To that, Elsa's creepy grin seemed to grow, rivaling the detective's. "Some folks would say that. Some would say that by using body parts like this, I'm perverting the laws of nature. To that I say, if nature allowed me into existing, then it's consenting to the notion that I can do the very same." She continued, grinning a bit. The three humans that were currently hanging around her turned to give her a confused, concerned, and curious look.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Fred cracked a nervous grin, laughing a bit. "Well uh... can't argue with you there."

Elsa nodded, returning to her laid back demeanor. "I'm just glad that this one didn't catch fire."

* * *

The day continued on until the sky darkened up once again, dusk soon fading onto the school. As predicted by Elsa yesterday, a large Gothic carriage rolled up to the school once more. This time, however, instead of being big enough for only two or three passengers, this one seemed big enough for at least eight. Miss Grimwood and Matches were waiting outside of the school, ready to welcome in the monster fathers while everyone else remained inside.

"Welcome, everyone," She began, smiling broadly as she stood before the five much taller figures. "I should warn all of you now, that we've been having guests over as well, and I've been allowing them to live here for a bit. I'm sure you all will recognize Coach Rogers and his dog, Scooby-Doo?"

"The same two that helped the girls actually win a game?" The mummy father spoke, his voice as old and dusty as his bandages.

"Don't forget that creepy old witch. They helped foil her plans too, right? How could we forget them?" The large, burly werewolf barked, laughing heartily.

The only one of the group that didn't seem to look back on the two so fondly was the King of Monsters himself, Count Dracula. His face had remained blank and unreadable, the only sign of acknowledgment coming from his cocked eyebrow. "Yes... how could we forget?" He concurred in a neutral tone. While none of the other fathers seemed to take notice to this, Frankenteen Sr. would eye him over carefully, making sure that the older vampire wouldn't do anything drastic. He too was quite familiar with why the Count would harbor some bitter feelings towards the two cowardly mortals. Things would definitely go badly were Dracula to fly off the handle (either metaphorically or literally).

Soon, the five fathers were lead inside, they were soon met with their daughters. It wouldn't take long before they all greeted each other with a huge hug, shared between father and daughter. The only exceptions to this were the Draculas, who were much more formal with each other, sharing a small bow and curtsy, rather than anything physical. Whether or not this had anything to do with the disagreement involving a certain road race was left unanswered.

Naturally, it wouldn't be long before the monster fathers noticed the nearby group of humans. Shaggy and Scooby were instantly recognized, since they had all been acquainted at least once before. Only Dracula recognized the strawberry blond, who was eyeing him over in a cautious, yet suspicious, manner. Not that he could really blame her. His neutral face barely broke, only showing the slightest hint of annoyance, expressed with a small grimace.

As for the others, there would be visible confusion evident on the father's faces as they looked to the group. "I assume these are the guests you told us about, Miss Grimwood?" The wolfman asked, pointing to the humans. Much like how they initially viewed Shaggy, they didn't look like they were all that special. A glasses wearing bookworm, a rather toned, ascot wearing man, a red-headed rich looking girl, a blond college girl, and a long haired, off-putting man was what they all saw in this group.

"Yeah, they're all friends of Coach Shaggy!" Winnie answered proudly, hoping that her dad, as well as the others, would get along with them all.

"They haven't been causing any trouble, have they?" The mummy replied, eyeing over the group with his shining yellow eyes, sizing them up. He didn't mind humans, since he used to be one. However, he was a very protective mummy, and wouldn't take any wrong-doings sitting down.

Any worries he had would immediately wash away when his young daughter spoke up. "Of course not! They've all been really helpful!"

"There's also the fact that our returning coaches help lead our girls to victory, if I may add," Miss Grimwood added in, giving two short claps. In an instant, the octopus butler came in, carrying the large volleyball trophy. The fathers were visibly impressed, with Phantasma's dad snickering a bit.

"Well, guess those two are like a good luck charm, then!" He said, grinning widely.

"Not only that, but they've all been such a great help around the school," Sibella continued fondly. "When they're not helping us with studies, they're keeping us company and telling us amazing stories."

"Any friends of our daughters are friends of ours," the older Frankenteen replied.

"Yes..." Dracula said, speaking for the first time in awhile. While his expression remained blank, he turned to the Coaches in question, pointing a finger at them. "Why not introduce us to your friends, Coach? After all, some of us haven't met all of them yet," He continued, his eyes moving over to Googie before quickly shooting back at Shaggy. It was subtle, but his mouth also contorted into the slightest sneer.

Shaggy gulped, looked at the imposing vampiric father. "R-right! Like, uh, here we have Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, Googie Hale, and Detective... erm, the detective," He went on, pointing out each member one at a time. They all gave a sort of polite wave and smile, though Googie was definitely a lot more reserved than the others. To her luck, Dracula seemed less than interested in any of them, even if all the other dads didn't mind.

"Now that we're all properly introduced to one another, how about we head into the living room?" Miss Grimwood laughed, turning to lead everyone out of the foyer. "Please follow me. We can all talk and celebrate in the next room."

With audible agreement, everyone began to file into the room, daughters sticking close to their respective fathers while Mystery Incorporated followed after them. Once they entered, the saw Hand and the butler finish laying out all of the food, which mostly consisted of a variety of monster foods. Since the humans would most likely be apprehensive about ingesting leech bites, spider wraps, and chocolate eyeballs, she made sure to fix some (not literal) finger food that was edible for mortals.

It wouldn't take long before Shaggy and Scooby found them, of course. Small saucers piled as high as they could, with Hand quickly replacing any empty serving dishes. It took a little longer for the two groups to start mingling with each other, however. Despite the fact that the ghoul girls and the humans were well acquainted with each other, there was now the added pressure of appeasing their dads.

Phanty wasted no time in dragging her father over to her newest friend and music teacher, the detective to formally introduce to the two. It didn't take long for them to take a liking to each other, with Mr. Phantom commending the man for tutoring her. Because the three seemed so relaxed and casual, the rest of the ghouls started to introduce their dads to the rest as well. At this point, conversation seemed to flow a lot more naturally, with Mystery Incorporated becoming a lot more comfortable and relaxed.

Some time would pass as all of the monster fathers got to know everyone, sharing various stories and events that happened in their lives. Whenever a human was asked about the reason they were there, however, they decided to remain quiet about it. It seemed to be an unspoken rule that they don't get anyone else involved. Partly because if whatever was happening was dangerous, it was best to have as few involved as possible. There was also the reason that any of the monster dads could try and interfere, whether it was for better or for worse.

Thankfully, Dracula seemed to be behaving, for the most part. While he seemed somewhat withdrawn from everything, he also didn't try and threaten or talk down to anyone. At least not to their faces. Still, he knew when to hold his tongue, especially since Sibella was probably still riding his cape about the whole road race ordeal. He couldn't help but glance over as the Wolfman and Shaggy laughed together, holding a conversation about something meaningless, most likely. Unlike the others, Dracula was here for something serious, and wouldn't be distracted from it. Any grudges he had towards anyone were not nearly as important as what he needed.

Soon, the ghouls started to bring out their gifts for their fathers. The Wolfman absolutely loved Winnie's wood carving, giving his daughter a large one armed hug as he held the wooden statuette. Tanis's dad greatly appreciated her urn, holding it up and turning it around to get a better look at it. "How gorgeous! Reminds me of the first time I got buried," He reminisced.

Dracula couldn't help but find himself beaming at his daughter's painting. "Goodness me... you did all of this by hand, Sibella?" He asked, looking down to her after admiring the painting for a good while.

"And from memory," She replied, smiling gently at him, enjoying his praise. "I think I did the dead trees well enough, though perhaps the lightning contrasts a bit too much."

"I think you did a perfect job," Dracula concluded, gently placing a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it affectionately.

It wouldn't take long before Elsa carried up her invention to her father, who instantly began trying it out. After checking each stitch, he laughed and gave his daughter a big bear hug that would most likely crush anyone else. "I love it! I know your mom will, too. Gives her less work at home, yeah?" He joked.

It was then time for Phantasma's gift, requesting that her dad and everyone else join her upstairs. Naturally, it didn't take long for the two phantoms to reach her room, while everyone else filed up the stairs. Once everyone managed to enter the room, it became considerably more crowded. The larger members of the crowd remained in the back, with everyone else hugging the walls and trying not to crowd against anyone. The ghost girl floated herself gently to her seat, taking a quick look back at the detective. With a small nod and a grin, she nodded and turned back to the organ in front of her. With a deep breath, she lifted her hands up, and began.

"Just a moment dear.

I hear someone at the door,

And the beating of a heart

that I hid beneath the floor.

They've come for me love.

Save yourself,

I am far beyond repair.

They will bury me alive,

but I'm not inclined to care.

I am too far gone now."

The song continued on, with Phantasma doing a surprisingly good job. Her tone was very gentle and somber, yet at certain parts of the music, her voice would turn into a dramatic wail. However, she made sure it wasn't over done, and it managed to fit into the song perfectly. Throughout the whole thing, Phanty kept her eyes shut, concentrating on the music and her own singing voice. It was safe to say that if the song didn't have an ending, she probably would've kept going for at least three more hours.

After around four minutes, though, the song finally came to an end, with the ghost taking some time after the song to sit in silence. It would be broken just a few seconds afterwards by the crowd behind her applauding and cheering for her. This took her by surprise, if the way she shot her head up was any indication. When she turned around, she was pleasantly surprised to find everyone clapping for her. Scooby and Winnie were even whistling for her! Peering over towards her father, he immediately flew over to her and enveloped his daughter in a large hug. Phanty's face soon broke out in a huge smile, letting out a few cheerful cackles. "I guess you all liked it, huh?"

"Phantasma, that was one of your best performances yet!" He exclaimed, literally glowing in pride.

"Glad you liked it, dad!" She beamed, glancing over his shoulder some. She could see the detective with his widest smile yet, incredibly pleased and happy with her performance. His eyes sparkled with genuine pride as he gave her a small nod.

Once everyone had settled down somewhat, Miss Grimwood spoke up again. "Excellent performance, Phantasma! There's still plenty of food downstairs, so let's not let it go to waste, shall we?" With a vocal agreement from everyone, they all headed back downstairs.

For the local vampires, however, they would not be joining everyone else right away. Instead, Dracula and her daughter would split off, heading into an empty room, far away from the others. When Sibella turned to see if anyone had spotted them, everyone else was already in the other room, continuing their party. Her gut twisted a bit, feeling the seed of worry start to take root in her stomach. If her father was pulling her away for something, it couldn't be good. What's worse is that she had a pretty good feeling as to what this impromptu meeting would be about.

As expected by the younger vampire, the first thing her father would say to her would be, "Sibella, I am missing something incredibly important."

Knowing that nothing good would come out of a denial or an affirmation, Sibella decided to try and encourage more information out of her father. "How important?"

"Let's just say that it came from my private library," Dracula continued in a somewhat cold manner. "A very powerful book, perhaps one of my greatest responsibilities."

Rather than play dumb, she put on a surprised face, her eyes widening owlishly. "You don't mean..?"

"Yes, my dear Sibella. I am missing the Demonilogist's Bible."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, this took way too long to complete, and I'm not really happy that I ended it on this note. Still, I like to end chapters on cliffhangers, so why not? To those wondering why this took so long, my life has been very busy. I've lost an important member of my family, and many things will be changing for me shortly. I still love to write and will do so any opportunity I have, but sometimes I just get too burned out on it.
> 
> In any case, here you all go! I hope you all enjoy it, and thanks for sticking with me for so long. You're all awesome!


	13. Screaming, Dying, and Crying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In order to investigate noises coming from deep within the bog, the team splits up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Sorry for putting one of these earlier than usual. I just wanted to give y'all a heads up that this chapter is going to be a long one. Thought I'd make it up to you guys for making you wait so long for an update. Without further ado: Chapter 13!

**Scooby Doo: Monster Menagerie**

**Chapter 13: Screaming, Dying, and Crying**

It would be a good long while before the occupants of the school had settled down. It was a long night of celebrating, especially on the monster girls' end. Their fathers would be incredibly proud of them, giving them the proper congratulations they so deserved. They also thanked their coaches, as well as the other humans for keeping them all company. Plenty of food was consumed, especially from a certain pair of beatnik foodies, and plenty of stories were shared between everyone. It would be hours before all of the fathers had to leave, allowing everyone else to go to bed as well.

Even though it had been a few hours since the carriage had left and everyone had gone off to bed, Sibella still laid restless in her coffin. As much as she hated to keep the whole conversation a secret from her friends, her (and by extension, her father's), explanation for their sudden, private meeting would be for him to make sure everything was going okay for her. Being slightly overprotective, he would naturally ask these sorts of questions, but that wouldn't be the main reason for their meeting, instead saving those for afterwards. Instead, he informed his daughter of the fact that one of his most prized, and powerful, possessions was missing from his personal library.

"I've already placed guards among every inch of the castle, both inside and out. Everyone is to keep an eye out in case they are to find it, or if whatever intruder who stole it comes back for something else," Dracula explained, looking quite grave, yet compose at the same time. Being the King of Monsters, he had to keep some air of professional regality to him, after all. "I have also sent out a few servants to go out and search the land for the book. If they are to find the book, they are to also bring the thief to me so that I may deal with them."

Sibella's face showed that she was listening intently to him. To him, it looked like she was quite concerned about this whole thing, her eyes wide as she made sure to pay attention. She couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty, though. She hid that emotion quite well as she asked her father some questions of her own. "Do you perhaps have any leads as to where the Demonologist's Bible has gone?"

"Unfortunately, no," The older vampire sighed darkly. "Whoever had the gall to steal such an item from me left no trace." If it was at all possible, his face got even more stern, almost worried. "What truly concerns me, though, is the fact that nothing else was missing. Just that book."

"What do you suppose the reason for that is, Father?" Sibella asked, tilting her head.

"Nothing good, I should think," He responded, looking to his daughter with a worried glint in his yellow eyes. "What's worse is that, ever since arriving here, I've had this... feeling. It is one that is not quite foreign to me, but yet I can not place my finger on what it is. All I know is, it is not good. A bad omen of things to come," Dracula prattled on slowly, his accent thick and dripping with intense dread.

"This is also why I wished to speak with you privately," He continued, looking at her once more. Sibella remained silent for the time being, although she had a rough idea as to what he would ask of her. "Whatever is going to happen will happen at this school. While I have not lost faith in Grimwood's ability to deter dark magic like this away, I fear this is much too powerful for her. What's more, there are mortals hanging around, and I have a feeling that it does not welcome them here. I wish for you to return back to the castle with me, back to safety," He implored, his worried gaze becoming slightly more visible, his frown making his distressed wrinkles on his face stand out a lot more.

The girl was at a loss for words, but her father was patient in waiting for her response. Was she worried? Of course. While she sometimes thought that her Father was a less-than-credible source for information, he wouldn't ever lie about something as severe as this. Besides, she and a few others had naturally felt this emotion as well. She still remembers talking to Winnie about a 'bad feeling' as well. On the other hand, though, she felt quite bad for making her father worry about this sort of thing. She felt as if taking the Demonologist's Bible from her Father's library was what was making him paranoid. With how her dreams had been, though, she figured it would help her try and solve her nightmare problem.

Unfortunately, that hadn't been the case, and by hiding it away behind a bookcase in the school's laboratory, the nightmares had stopped. She did notice that it had done nothing to make the incomprehensible feeling of dread go away, though. While she  _would've_  liked to have returned the book back to her Father and get by with a scolding from him, that feeling was undeniable. Book or no book, whatever was going to happen was inevitable. With the Demonologist's Bible by her side, hopefully it would provide some more information on whatever was going on. The monster attacks had to be connected in some way. They just had to be.

While it pained her to keep such serious secrets from her Father like this, and even more so to make him worry about her, she finally sighed and shook her head. "No, Father. I think it would be for the better if I remained here."

At this, Dracula's eyes widened, confusion evident on his face. "Remain here? My daughter, I sense something powerful. Much more so than of that witch you had to deal with all those years ago. I do not wish to lose you like I almost did..." He trailed off, his voice sounding a bit more desperate.

"Please do not worry, Father," She reassured, her voice as cool and composed as it ever was. "We are all much older, and a lot more capable. Not only that, but you remember we have Coach Shaggy and his friends here. They too have abilities that are useful in dealing with matters as this."

At this, Dracula's face seemed to sneer somewhat, her statement doing little to comfort him. "My dear, they are mere mortals. It does not matter how skillful they might be, they would never match up to that of a monster's abilities. Pure dumb luck will do little for them, I'm afraid." Sibella raised an eyebrow at him, not feeling that surprised at his skepticism. He always did have a sort of disdain or humankind, after all.

She still felt a need to defend them, however. She had grown quite fond of all of them. Shaggy and Scooby, naturally, as she had known them the most out of the human group. She knew that when push comes to shove, those two would defend them all with their lives. Velma was quite smart and knowledgeable, but also understanding. She would help out in any way she could and would do anything for an answer. Daphne was kind, yet assertive. There was definitely more to her than meets the eye. Fred was also quite smart, yet also very handy. The cheerleader, Googie, while easily frightened, was a great friend to her as well. She was very sweet, and she knew that she wouldn't give up easily. Even the detective, easily the most secretive and terrifying of the group, was incredibly savvy and observant. It was clear that he does not act as malicious as he looks. In their own way, the group of humans were just as capable of dealing with whatever was going on.

"You may be incorrect in that statement, Father," Sibella began, looking up to Dracula seriously. "I trust them all. We will find an answer to everything and we will stop it. Please trust me. Trust  _us_."

It was now Dracula's turn to be lost for words. His mouth opened, as if to say something, but then closed. He gave a grimace as he stared into his daughter's eyes, heavily considering what she was saying. It was clear that Sibella wasn't going to back down from this, and trying to fight against her like this would ultimately prove fruitless. After gulping thickly, he let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head, breaking eye contact. "...I sure hope you know what you're getting into, my dear Sibella," He'd sigh out.

Back in the present, the vampire finally shut her eyes, shifting around to get a bit more comfortable in her wooden, yet intricately carved, coffin. "...I hope I do too, Father..." She'd whisper before letting herself drift off into slumber. Before she fully went to sleep, though, she would have one final conscious thought.

" _I need to get that book_."

* * *

"Remind me again why the Colonel wanted us to come out and set a trail of flags?" Said the voice of Grunt, getting up from his knee after placing in a small, yet noticeable, red flag. That is, it  _would_  be noticeable if the sun would come out a bit more.

"He wanted us to train the new Cadets by having them march in the bog," Tug answered, looking at the map he was holding to see where they would have to head to next.

"Doesn't he think it's dangerous, though?" Jamal asked, getting the attention from the other four in the group. "I mean, remember that one year? We got lost and almost got pulled into the quick sand."

"That's why he had us specifically lay out flags on the track," Baxter answered. "Not only will it keep us away from any hazards, but it'll make sure that everyone can walk the trail safely without incident."

"Let's go on up ahead," Tug said, starting to walk on the trail. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can leave."

"Affirmative. This place was never really that welcoming, was it?" Miguel stated, following Tug, along with everyone else. They all continued on the trail, setting flags every few yards. Since the trail wasn't too perilous, they wouldn't come across anything dangerous nor would they have to traverse over terrain that would prove to be too difficult for anyone.

Unfortunately for the group, as they reached a small opening in the woods, they all looked to each other, confusion evident on their faces. "Hey... is it me, or does it feel... weird here?" Jamal asked, looking around the treeline for anything.

"Affirmative. I feel it too..." Grunt replied, rubbing his arm.

"Y-you guys are just paranoid," Tug stated. There was no denying the look of unease that had crept onto his face, though. Despite the fact that they all had little to no idea what was going on, they knew something was wrong. That gut feeling, twisting and lurching around. They knew something bad was going to happen.

The group quickly formed closer together, keeping a wary eye out towards the treeline in five different directions. "Keep your guard up, men," Tug commanded, doing his best to not sound shaken. Not that the others could blame him, for all of them were fear stricken... somehow. As soon as their leader gave his order, though, the air all around them would erupt into what could best be described as a deafening, loud, inhuman roar.

None of them could help but throw their hands over their ears, struggling to stay on their feet as the roar echoed, making the ground beneath them rumble. They all also let out a few yells of fright or shock, barely able to keep their composure from what was happening. As they all tried to keep their ears from bleeding, all five of the Cadets would take notice of the fact that the air was also a lot warmer, almost as if a heat wave had suddenly dropped upon the area. The smell that followed wasn't pleasant, either. A strong waft of sulfur was abundant, almost suffocating.

Despite it feeling much longer, the roar continued on for a few seconds before becoming silent. The Cadets slowly removed their hands from their ears, trying to see if they could see the source. In one swift movement, all of them unsheathed their military swords from their scabbards, getting into a defense stance. The silence was almost as deafening as the roar itself, and all of them were quite thankful to have not lost their hearing from it. With how strong the scent of sulfur was, though, it was hard to keep focus.

"Show yourself..!" Tug commanded, now clearly frightened. "If this is a prank, the consequences will be dire, just so you know!" He continued on in a loud voice, perhaps thinking that this was all a prank from one of the other students at the military school, or perhaps even one of the girls from Grimwood's. After all, they did have a knack for scaring people. Regardless, all of them were  _hoping_  that it was a prank.

The crack of a twig quickly got all five facing in the direction of the source, making sure to remain steadfast, even in the face of potential danger. Their swords were pointed in the direction as well, keeping a close eye on the treeline.

Unfortunately for the five, what revealed itself would not be a student from either school. It was most certainly inhuman, though, and most definitely a monster. Perhaps even worse than that. It's skin was blood red, with long, curved horns and sharp claws, both of which were cracked and blackened with soot. It was hard to tell if this thing actually had eyes or not, as it's eye holes were sunken in and dark. Bright orange lights would burn through it's skull, though, in lieu of actual eyeballs. Instead of a mouth, it had a large, sharp beak, standing out at least half a foot. It's figure looked emaciated, ribs, pelvis, and other bones protruding it's skin. It's long, sharpened tail and old, bat-like wings made it look even more imposing. It was a horror to behold, especially with it's orange eyes burning into the five Cadets.

It barely moved closer, the horrid figure staring down the group before it for a few seconds. Finally, it would lift up a clawed finger, somehow growling out a question in a deep, scratchy voice. "...do these ones know of anything, Master?" The five Cadets turned to look at each other, confused. Was it talking to them?

Before they could even formulate anything relating to an answer, it curled it's claw inwards, shifting it's position into a much more offensive, threatening one. "...I see. Mortals of no use of information have no use of living. I shall take care of them." It would unfurl it's wings and let out another deafening screech, making the Cadets stumble and flinch, steeling their nerves in preparation for a fight.

"Come, my comrade... join me in the bloodshed!" It squawked. Just like that, it pushed itself forward, dashing towards the group at inhuman speed.

All they could do was fight back.

* * *

Everyone was quite thankful that the day following the Open House was another day off. Mystery Inc. and the five monster students were currently hanging around the table, helping themselves to a small variety of food that Miss Grimwood had laid out for everybody. While the ghouls ate the more monstrous morsels, the humans would stick to something more palatable. Loose conversation was prevalent throughout the table, however, ranging from stories about last night, questions about the investigation, or anything that the students were studying.

"So how difficult is it to rewrap yourself, if I may ask?" Daphne asked the smallest and youngest ghoul, Tanis.

"Well, it depends on what needs to be wrapped," She began casually. "If it's an arm or a leg, it barely takes any time, and I can usually use my own innate magic to help. It takes a little while longer with my head and my back though. If I need a full rewrapping, though, I'd definitely need some help and at least a couple of hours," the mummy girl answered.

"You do have a steady supply of bandages, though, right?" Daphne asked, tilting her head. "I'd hate to think that you'd run out and be left... uh, exposed."

At this, Tanis smiled gently and nodded. "Oh, don't worry, Miss Daphne, I almost never run out. My mummy-daddy always makes sure to keep me stocked up while I'm here."

Elsewhere at the table, a few of them had questions for the two gym coaches, who were indulging in their overstacked portions.

"So now that volleyball season is over, Shags, what's your current plan for your class?" Freddie asked his foodie friend.

"Hey, yeah! With volleyball out of the way, there's more room for other stuff, right?" Winnie asked in between bites of her meal.

At this, Shaggy managed to swallow his own large mouthful, thinking a bit before answer. "Huh... like, I'm not too sure, actually! We're definitely, like, going to stick to some outdoor activities, but once it gets too cold, I'd say we, like, stick to something indoors. I'm still working out all the details," He answered, scratching his chin fuzz some.

"Maybe some weights?" Elsa suggested, looking his way.

"Ooh, maybe more dance classes!" Phantasma exclaimed, giggling some. "We still have that tutu you wore that one time," She teased, causing a few others to snicker at this. Shaggy took this in stride, giving a small, embarrassed laugh.

"W-well, like, all of those are great suggestions! I'll take them into consideration next time we have a class," Shaggy said, Scooby nodding and barking in agreement.

Instead of partaking in this particular conversation, Googie decided to voice a slight convern of her's as she looked around the table. "...is the detective still working in the lab?" She'd ask Velma, who was sitting across from her.

The bookworm of Mystery Inc. nodded simply as she flipped the pages of her own book. "Yeah, he is. Guess it's a common thing for him to be so obsessive with his investigations," She answered logically. The cheerleader scratched her head, giving a slight nod, though her gaze would look quite disapproving.

"I mean, I guess it  _is_  pretty important. Still, I don't like the fact he hasn't slept in about a week, plus he barely eats anything. It's unhealthy," Googie sighed.

Velma looked up, also starting to look a bit concerned for their newest, creepy friend. "Yeah, you're right. After breakfast, I think I should head down and talk to him about it," She suggested, which Googie replied with a nod and a small smile.

"That'd be good. He's gonna work himself to death at the rate he's going," She'd sigh, taking another bite of fruit salad.

"Okay if I head down with ya, Velma? I gotta check on the electromagnets I've been working on," Elsa asked, looking over the table to the girl.

"That's fine with me, Elsa," Velma replied, her eyes drifting over from Elsa to the ghoul sitting right next to her. Throughout the entirety of breakfast, Sibella had barely touched anything on her plate, instead taking to prodding and nudging everything around with a fork. She was also the only one at the table who wasn't saying anything. Despite her neutral, cold gaze, she knew something was up. "Hey, Sibella?" She began curiously, her voice quickly snapping the vampire out of her oblivious daze. "How are you hanging up?"

"Oh. I'm doing fine," She answered simply, looking back down at her plate, jabbing a bit of some old looking sausage before taking a bite out of it and chewing slowly. This did little to lessen the concerns of the brunette, though. Winnie also seemed to take notice of Sibella's lethargic behavior. Was she in need of more 'nourishment'? Or was she hiding another secret..?

Soon, though, Velma stood up from her seat. "Well, I'm gonna go check on the detective and see-" Was all she could say before she was suddenly cut off. Not that anyone could blame her, of course, since the noise that had done was was absolutely noticeable, even in a spooky atmosphere such as this one. The whole mansion rumbled gently, clattering various bottles and other objects inside. The noise was something akin to a demonic roaring, echoing heavily from deep within the woods. Everyone sitting at the table began to look around, both curious and somewhat frightened by the noise.

"Like w-w-what was that?!" Shaggy stammered, holding onto Scooby as he jumped into his arms.

"Didn't sound good, whatever it was," Daphne trailed off cryptically.

"Definitely nothing native around here..." Winnie growled, her ears folded back and her fur standing on end.

Everyone at the table looked unnerved. Even the usually cool-headed Sibella had her eyes wide open, fear prevalent in her expression. Everyone then looked to each other, unsure of what to do.

"D-do you think that was..?" Tanis began nervously.

"The demon," Velma replied, nodding and looking quite serious. "It has to be close by. Much closer than before, if we can hear it."

"Doesn't sound too happy either," Googie gulped, scooting closer to the group.

"We have to go after it!" Freddie stated, quickly getting out of his seat and heading towards the door of the dining room.

"We do?!" The rest of the human group exclaimed, watching as their blond leader turned around.

"Guys, this is an opportunity to know what we're dealing with! Elsa and I finished the traps we were working on, so we shouldn't have too hard of a time, right?" He continued on.

"Freddie, whatever this thing is has killed two people already. We have evidence to prove that it's not a hoax, and is very dangerous."

"Yeah, like, there's no way we're all gonna be able to corner something that strong!" Shaggy stammered, shaking considerably, his dog companion looking displeased as well.

"Ruh huh! Re'll be slaughtered!" Scooby whined.

"Then you'll need help," Elsa stated, standing up with Freddie.

"Hey, yeah! If we all go, it wouldn't be able to take all of us! Plus, no offense, but us monsters could probably go toe to toe with something like a demon, if we outnumber it!" Winnie said, a cocky snarl on her face as she stood up to join the others.

"B-but it's still dangerous!" Googie stammered, looking shocked as everyone started to want to join in. "Who knows what'll happen? We all can't risk going after it!"

"...we promised to help, yes?" Sibella stated suddenly, getting up from her seat. She had an extremely serious gaze on her face, grimacing some. "We'll make sure nothing bad happens to us, nor anyone else. We will put an end to this."

Freddie blinked and gave a small grin, giving her a thumbs up. "G-great!" He'd look out to those remaining in their seats. "C'mon, gang. Have some faith. We'll be able to put those who suffered to rest, and put their families at ease, as well as everyone else in town."

After a few seconds, Daphne shook her head, smiling gently as she slowly got up. "You always were the kind to see things through no matter what, huh? I'm in," She said, joining his side.

"M-me too!" Tanis piped up bravely. "It may be scary, but if it means protecting people and clearing our names... so be it!"

"Me three!~" Phantasma sang, floating up and giggling. "What's the worse that could happen to me, anyways?"

"Well... might as well," Velma added in, standing up. "It will help us a lot, as well as others once we know what's going on. Let's do it," She continued, adding in a confident smirk.

"I'm coming too, then!" Googie yelled out suddenly, surprising everyone. "I-I'm tired of cowering under the fear of being attacked! I wanna do something about this too!"

"Attah girl!" Winnie growled eagerly. Soon, everyone's attention turned to the two local cowards, who were still holding onto each other.

"...like, you're all gonna get yourselves killed!" Shaggy said, standing up and setting Scooby down. "...and it's my responsibility as a gym coach to keep that from happening," He'd add in. Even though his voice was still shaky and scared, he got a confident look on his face as well. Scooby steeled his resolve as well, barking in agreement. Everyone else was quite surprised, though it was welcome.

"W-wow Coach..." Winnie grumbled. "You really are a lot braver, huh?"

"Like, I hope so..!" He'd say, tittering nervously.

"Then let's not waste time!" Freddie said, leading everyone out towards the front door. "Velma, go get the detective. I know he's gonna want to go with us." With a nod, Velma headed into the laboratory. Freddie also turned to Elsa. "Elsa, go and get the trap. We're gonna need it," He'd say, the golem girl also nodding before following Velma. Just as the rest of the group headed to the entrance, they heard a voice speak up, sounding quite stern.

"Just one moment. Where do you all think you're going?" Came the voice of Miss Grimwood, who was looking at them all with a hardened, cold gaze of disapproval. To everyone, it seemed like she had just suddenly appeared right behind them all. "If you're thinking about investigating that noise, than forget it. That came from deep within the bog, and none of you are to go in there. Remember?"

The group froze and looked her way, a few looking uncomfortable, including Freddie. "Well, er... we just thought-"

"If I may?" Sibella cut in, looking to her headmistress. In her mind, she knew it was wrong to speak back to Miss Grimwood like this. But she knew it was for the best, to end everything bad that had been happening. "We are much older now, Miss Grimwood. All of us can handle our own against something powerful."

Miss Grimwood looked much more stressed, and quite angry too. "This is not some bumbling witch, Sibella! This is something much more powerful than anyone else could imagine! I heard the roars and felt the rumbles many times before. That is why I specifically taught you all to stay  _away_  from beings like this!" She'd point a painted nail in Shaggy's direction, who cowered a bit in shame. "Shame on you, Coach Rogers, for allowing our students to return to that place after what happened last time!"

As Shaggy and Scooby gave each other a somewhat guilty look, Tanis chimed in. "That wasn't Shaggy's fault..! Not only that, but we're willing to help them out!"

"We're prepared, Miss Grimwood," Daphne added in. "We have a trap prepared. We also have a plan of action." At this, Freddie gave her a look of 'do we really?', while the redhead returned it with a glower of 'just go with it'.

"That demon won't know what him 'im!" Winnie added in, flexing proudly. Sibella rolled her eyes at this, but spoke up as well.

"We'll have each others' backs," She'd say. "We'll expect everything. We know we're dealing with something powerful. In order to help others, we must confront it. Please understand, Miss Grimwood," The vampire would gently plea.

After looking between everyone, she'd let out an exhausted, slightly exasperated, sigh. "...fine," She'd reply, sitting herself in a couch and fixing her messy hair. "Fine..." She'd sigh again, looking more stressed and worried now. "I'm just... scared for you all. I sure hope you all know what you're doing, for your own sake."

This was unlike any of the ghouls had seen. Miss Grimwood was almost never like this. Seeing her as a bit of a nervous wreck was... disheartening to say the least.

Shaggy spoke up, moving closer to her. "...Like, Miss Grimwood?" She looked his way, an eyebrow raised to the gym coach she hired. "We'll be okay. You can count us to to make it through. I'll make sure, like, no harm comes to any of our students!"

At this, Miss Grimwood gave a tired smile, nodding at him. "Thank you, Shaggy," She'd say, gently accepting a cup of tea given to her from the white floating hand. After taking a sip, she'd continue on in a more calm manner. "Go on ahead, then, and good luck."

She watched as the group hurried out of the building, thanking her before leaving. Miss Grimwood also took notice of Velma, Elsa, and the detective jogging on up to join everyone before they were left behind. As she was left alone, she'd grimace and sigh once more, taking another long sip of tea.

* * *

The detective's scarred fingers moved through his long hair in a fidgety manner. As he stared at all of his notes that he had laid out before him, he found himself growing more and more frustrated. He had been working since last night up until dawn trying to make everything add up.

No matter how hard he tried, though, there were still missing variables that he couldn't figure out! He felt useless and stupid for not getting farther in his research, nor getting any closer to finding a lead. In exasperation, he slapped his palms against the table suddenly, making a few sheets of paper flutter off.

"Dammit!" He'd shout out suddenly, the peak of his frustration making itself known. As he did so, the loud thud of something heavy echoed around the lab. He'd quickly whip his head around, an eyebrow raised.

The noise certainly came from the bookshelf behind him... but none of the books had fallen out. Right beside the shelf, though, was indeed a book. Curious, the man limped over to it, gently lifting it off of the floor. Did it fall off the top of the shelf? The noise it made wasn't loud enough to fit that theory.

As his fingers wrapped around the leather bound book, though, a sense of familiarity came over him. He felt giddy, for some reason. It wasn't until he held the book up into his vision did he realize why. His already wide eyes seemed to grow even further in excitement as he looked at the cover, his mouth breaking his smile to show surprise and shock. "No way..." The detective whispered, quickly opening the book and flipping through pages. As he looked through everything, his smile reformed, looking quite maniacal and unhinged. "Oh ho ho... yes..." He'd hiss to himself, eyes quickly darting from page to page in excitement. "How I've missed you..." The detective cooed to the book.

Before he could keep reading, though, the whole lab rumbled gently, the bottles jittering and the bookshelf shaking quite a bit. The detective quickly shut the book and looked around curiously. He thought he also heard the roar of... something. His grin became more hardened and a bit threatening. "Hmm... patience is a virtue it seems... we'll finally get a chance to see the demon and know what it is!" He rambled onto himself, putting the book into his tote bag.

The strange man also took time to take his notes with him, finishing up just as the door opened. He glanced up and saw Velma and Elsa, the latter hurrying down into the room itself. As he watched the golem hold up a large electromagnetic trap by the chain, Velma spoke to him. "We've got a lead," She'd state simply.

"I could tell," The man replied, grinning widely and excitedly as he followed Elsa up the stairs. "Let's get to it, then."

* * *

It took the entire group quite a long time before they all reached the entrance to the bog. The stench was quite unpleasant, even for this certain area. Trees were either dead, covered in thorns, or just unwelcome looking in general. There was a noticeable trail up ahead, although with how uneven the tree line was, anyone could enter from anywhere. The trail split off to the right and left as well, leading to different parts of the bog, though it didn't seem to lead to anywhere more welcoming.

As they reached the split trail, Daphne, Scooby, Shaggy, and Velma all looked to each other, already knowing what Fred was about to say. "Like, let me guess..." Shaggy began.

"Let's split up, gang!" The five of them said at the same time, Freddie looking a bit indignant.

"I'm... guessing that's a common thing?" Googie asked curiously.

"Yup," Daphne answered simply, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, it's a good idea!" Fred replied, looking to everyone. "We'll cover more ground if we split off into three groups of four."

"So how shall we do this?" Sibella asked the leader of Mystery Inc.

After a few minutes, everyone had settled into a group, choosing their path to follow. Deciding on the left trail was Team One, which consisted of Shaggy, Scooby, Googie, and Winnie. Going down the middle trail was Team Two, fulfilled by Daphne, Velma, Elsa, and Sibella. For the final trail, Team Three was formed from Fred, Tanis, Phantasma, and the detective. They all wished each other luck before heading down their respective trails. Now was the time for finding the monster once and for all.

* * *

"Ugh... I can't tell if it's the bog or what, but something stinks," Googie complained, looking around her feet, being careful to not step on or in anything dangerous.

"Nah, it's always like this," Winnie answered bluntly. "You get used to it after awhile."

"Like, hopefully that monster doesn't like the smell either," Shaggy added in. "Maybe it'll steer clear of this area."

"Ruh huh. Maybe it'll get stuck," Scooby chimed in hopefully.

"We can only hope..." Googie trailed off.

The team was lead by Winnie and Scooby, who were sniffing at the air and on the ground, checking the trail for anything unusual while Shaggy and Googie followed. At one point, the group had to pass by a large lake, filled with nothing but quick sand. Since there was very little room to go around, and any logs that were nearby were made of fragile dead wood, they all had to shimmy one at a time on the dry land.

Once successful, they continued on. To help settle her nerves, Googie started up a conversation with the werewolf as she sniffed ahead. "Hey, Winnie? If I may ask, how did you become a werewolf? Were you born like it?"

At this, Winnie moved her head behind her to reply, nodding. "Yeah, that's right. My papa was the one who was bitten. Since he got together with another werewolf, they gave birth to me." She turned her head back to the front as she continued on. "It's weird, though. Since I wasn't born a human, I don't really have a human  _form_ , I guess. I'm always gonna be all furry like this. Around full moons, I just get even more so. A  _lot_  more vicious, too!" She laughed, her tail wagging some behind her. "Man, you should see on the full moon! It's like I can't think of anything else but hunting and running!"

Shaggy and Googie looked to each other. During their whole stay at the school, the only indication that she had 'changed' was her howls. They never saw her in the building or even around the school. That was probably for the best, in their opinion.

"Makes sense," The beatnik said in response. "Like, I think my transformation was a special case, right?"

"Yeah, the moon is very weird. Even though I have it's calender memorized, even I can't predict it's pow-" Winnie froze, her ear twitching and her nose wrinkling. "...wait. Something's nearby." She said in a harsh whisper, lowering herself to the ground. Scooby concurred, sniffing the air and sticking his tongue out in disgust.

"Bleurgh!" He'd exclaim. Soon, the two humans would know why, as the air became thick with the stench of sulfur.

"Eugh..! Like, who did that?" Shaggy accused, holding his nose.

"I think I prefer the smell of the bog," Googie replied, also holding her nose.

Winnie's fur stood on end as her ears twitched like crazy. It was a strange feeling, one she was familiar with. Back when she was carving her wolf in the school, she felt it. It was close. Her instincts were going berserk, telling her to run away.

Before any one of them had a chance to do or say anything else, though, a large, bony figure dropped down from a tree, just a few yards in front of them, landing on it's talons with catlike grace. Everyone yelped out, Winnie preparing herself to attack just in case.

The strange, red demon before them, however, did not move, instead doing a sort of stare down with the group, it's orange lights flickering as if it were a candle lit flame. With one outstretched claw, it's beak opened up to speak.

"So... you're the ones Master disapproves of..." It squeaked out cryptically.

"I wouldn't say we approve of your master either...or you, for that matter!" Googie replied, feeling Shaggy and Scooby shudder in fear behind her. If the creature could sneer, it would have, curling it's finger inwards as it kept speaking, ignoring the strawberry blonde's statement.

"He has already gotten some information out of you, Norville Rogers. But it is not enough," He'd continue, the others looking to him.

"Zoinks..! Like, he did?" He said, not quite remembering the time he spoke to an evil demon and told him everything he could remember.

" _Norville_..?" Winnie whispered to herself before shaking her head. "Look, whatever you want with us, you're gonna have to forget it!" She threatened. Her sharp teeth were bared now, growling audibly to the Hellish figure before them.

Again, if the figure could've sneered, it would have. However, it made an offensive position with it's body, looking quite agitated with the werewolf. "Silence!" It'd squawk out, it's wings outstretched. "If you are withholding information, then you will be punished! We will get what you know out of you... whether you cooperate or not!" With a loud screech, it dashed forward, it's foot falls quite deep. It was going towards the group much faster than they anticipated.

They were fortunate enough that Winnie acted fast, pouncing forward and slamming herself into the demon. Since it was knocked off it's course, the two landed just a few feet away from the other three. They swiped at each other for a bit, trading a few hits before Winnie pushed herself off of it's body, going back to the group. She had a few noticeable claw marks into her, though she barely seemed fazed from them. "Jeez, this thing's tough!"

It quickly stood back up on it's hind talons, sporting a few injuries itself. Rather than pounce at them, it pointed it's palms towards the group, whispering in a Hellish language that none of them could quite comprehend.

Winnie's ear twitched, turning to the group sharply. "Duck, now!"

Not wanting to argue, all of them threw themselves onto the ground just as the demon threw an enormous fireball at them. Thanks to their quick thinking, it missed them and hit a few trees instead, instantly evaporating them into nothing but ash.

"Zoinks! If that hit us, we wouldn't even be able to know!" Shaggy exclaimed.

The werewolf shot up from her spot to tackle the demon once more. She was successful, but could only get a few swipes at it before it threw her off of, slamming her against the ground. "Oof!" She yelped out, rolling a few feet before scrambling to her feet. "Grrah! You stupid demon! I'll show you!" She'd growl.

"Winnie, wait!" Googie began, looking over the werewolf a bit. She was already showing injuries, a good amount of her fur matted with dirt and a bit of blood. Her head was bleeding quite a bit too, even though she could stand on her feet. "If you keep going, it'll surely kill you!" She said, looking to the demon. It had quite a few marks too, but was not bleeding, nor was it even fazed by any of it. In fact, the demon seemed to cackle at the group, knowing that none of them could physically stop it. As it prepared to charge at them again, the werewolf looked up at the girl.

"What do we do, than?!" She exclaimed.

"Ruuuuuun!" Scooby shouted, starting to push everyone into the opposite direction. They didnt need to be told twice, running for their lives as the demon chased them. Winnie and Shaggy were up front this time, the other two following very closely. Every so often, Shaggy would turn his head, seeing the demon slowly catch up to them, laughing maniacally.

"Like, why isn't it attacking or pouncing?" He asked aloud.

"He's teasing us," Winnie answered as she ran on all fours. "It's enjoying the hunt before it tears us apart!"

"Rait! Quicksand!" Scooby shouted, the four of them skidding to a halt right at the edge of the quicksand lake.

The demon was quickly closing in on them, and none of them had time to shimmy or jump across. Instead, all four of them seemed to get the same idea. Right as the demon pounced, Googie and Shaggy flung themselves one way while Scooby and Winnie dodged in the other. The demon flew right past them, landing right into the quicksand.

It was very fast acting, so the Hellish monster had little to no time to react before it was already a third of the way into the sand. It screeched and unfurled it's wings, trying to flap it's way out. No matter how hard it struggled, though, it was unsuccessful. With a loud roar of defiance, it lifted it's head up to scream louder, it's beak the last visible thing the group saw before it was completely swallowed up by the lake. It's screamed quickly died down, a few bubbles burbling to the top before stopping. One large, final bubble would expand to the surface before popping, letting out a deathly shrill wail, smelling of the horrid sulfur.

"L-like that worked? I can't believe it!" Shaggy said, slapping a hand to his forehead and laughing in disbelief.

"Yeah, we did it! We kicked it's stupid red ass back to Hell where it belongs!" Winnie said, giving a loud howl of victory.

"I'm just glad that we didn't get killed," Googie sighed, Scooby concurring with a sigh of relieve, wiping the sweat from his brow. "So, does that deal with the demon? Was it that simple?"

Another monstrous roar echoed throughout the bog, although it was farther away from the group. "Like, nope!"

"C'mon, let's go help the others!" Winnie said, starting to make her way across the lake. The others followed, but didn't share her enthusiasm.

"Ruh uh! You're too hurt, Rinnie!" Scooby whined looking over her wounds. The werewolf rolled her eyes, but the two humans agreed with the Great Dane.

"Like, Scoob is right, Winnie. We gotta hurry on back to the school before we push our luck too much!" Shaggy said, gently touching her shoulder.

"Ugh, fine. I just hope the others aren't having a hard time," She'd say, moving with everyone else back towards the school.

* * *

Team two didn't have too hard of a time traversing the bog. Not only was the trail pretty straight forward, but there were red flags guiding the way. While the smell of the bog was foul, what really took everyone by surprise was the fact that they could smell something else, growing stronger and stronger with each step. That gut feeling of dread also became more prevalent as they hurried on the trail.

Velma made sure to keep a close eye on the vampire, who was leading them deeper into the woods. With how erratically she was acting, she knew something was up. Sibella was hiding something, and it must have been important. The brunette knew that she would just give it up, especially not with a bunch of other things on their mind. Velma would just have to ask after this was all over with.

"We're on the right trail," Sibella suddenly spoke, getting everyone's attention. "I don't know why, but it has to be close by. The scent is picking up."

"Why would they follow the trail, though? Wouldn't that make it obvious?" Daphne asked aloud.

"Maybe that's what they're wanting. To be found," Elsa stated slowly, starting to think.

"How do you mean?" The redhead asked, looking to the golem.

"A being as powerful as what we're dealing with will surely hold nothing back. It must know how strong it is, and is almost hoping to find victims," She replied in a logical, thoughtful manner.

"You may be right, I hear something up ahead," Sibella stated, stopping the entire group. They all started to listen in. It sound like the yells of someone, though they had no idea who. More importantly,  _why_  was someone out here in the first place?

"Is someone...  _fighting_  it?" Velma asked curiously, fixing her glasses.

"Let's hurry, then! They won't last long against a demon!" Daphne yelled out, running alongside everyone else. Team two was soon met with the peak of the smell and the dreadful feeling as they reached the opening of the woods. They all stopped right at the edge, gasping out as they stared.

In the center of the woods was a demon, no question about it. The claws, the tail, the wings, everything about it screamed "Hell". It was panting heavily as it glowered at a figure opposite of it. It was a young, blonde haired man, a sword outstretched in one shaky arm. He looked worse for wear, barely able to stand on his feet, or even able to see, due to a heavily swollen black eye. The demon, however, look like it had barely sustained anything, despite the fact that the young man's sword was covered with a crimson red blood.

"What are you going to do now?" The fiend cackled mockingly, his tail swishing around, similar to a cat. "You foolishly let your team run off, and you remained behind. A noble move, perhaps... but also your last one, I'm afraid." It prepared itself for another attack, it's claws extending out some.

"Is that..?" Elsa began, though Sibella would finish for her.

"Tug!" She gasped out, gaining the attention of the Cadet  _and_  his attacker.

"...so. You all have arrived," The demon growled, moving it's body to face the four girls, almost as if it had forgotten Tug.

"Sibella..? G-guys, leave! Run  _now_! This thing is too strong..!" Tug began, looking quite frightened as he tried to warn everyone.

"Information is what our Master needs..." The demon continued on, ignoring the Cadet. "And with you four around, we'll get what we need in no time!"

With a loud yell, the Cadet charged his way towards the demon, He was already quite hurt, so it was quite clumsy. The demon effortlessly threw him to the ground, looking his way.

"Stay down. If you're smart, you'll die where you lay." It hissed to the Cadet, now visibly struggling to get back on his feet. As it turned it's attention to the group, though, it would be met with a face full of purple flame. Sibella had cast a fireball of her own, knocking the demon a good couple of yards.

"Your attacks end now, demon," She threatened, giving a very scary, death glare to the Hellish fiend. As it quickly scrambled to it's feet, Elsa, Daphne, and Velma hurried over to Tug. The two humans helped him onto his feet, keeping him steady while Elsa began to set up the large electromagnetic bear trap.

"...daughter of the King of Monsters... you surely know a lot. Come face me and die!" It squawked, charging itself at her. The two soon went toe to toe, dealing spells and dodging each others' attacks. Sibella was very graceful, managing to dodge everything the demon was throwing at her, making sure to hit the demon while it's guard was down.

While it was distracted, Daphne, Velma, and Tug watched with wide eyes, unable to believe what was happening before them. "This is crazy..." Velma muttered, making sure to remember the demon's form. "Never would I imagine the day I see a vampire fighting a demon."

Elsa stuck to herself, quickly setting everything up before shoving a few loose leaves and twigs on it to hide it. She hurried herself over to the group, relaying her plan.

"Okay, here's how it'll go down," She began, speaking quickly, yet methodically. "When it hits the trigger, it'll start up the electromagnet, causing the trap to close at a much higher rate than usual. It'll clench down on it's leg, quite possibly breaking it. Regardless, it will keep it in place."

"That's good and all, but what do we do once it's trapped?" Daphne asked in a worried tone. "I mean, we can't kill it on our own!"

At this, Elsa gave a wicked smirk, winking to the group. "I forgot to mention: I didn't ground the wires before hooking up the magnet," She'd say with a knowing look. Velma's eyes widened quite a bit, though Daphne and Tug looked to each other in confusion.

"...w-what?" Tug managed to stammer out, his lip bleeding quite a bit.

"Just watch," Elsa responded, turning her gaze to the demon. "Hey, horn head!" She called out, getting both Sibella's and the demon's attention. "Come and get me! I'm just a slow-witted patchwork doll who can't run very fast!"

"What are you doing?!" Daphne whispered harshly. Velma remained quiet, making sure to lead the other two a good distance away.

The demon considered it's options quickly, turning back to the vampire. With a wave of it's hand to her, he scoffed. "Feh, you're too much trouble!" It would say to her before charging Elsa. She remained put, though, standing just a few feet behind the trap.

"Yeah, that's right, you couldn't knock me down if you were the size of a redwood tree!" The golem girl kept calling, trying to rile it up. With a loud, annoyed snarl, it swiped to the golem girl, who sidestepped to the right, just by a little.

It made the demon stumble, and step right into the trap. She was right in assuming it would break it's leg, as a loud, satisfying ' **CRACK** ' was heard. However, only Velma and Elsa expected what happened next. Right as it broke the demon's leg, it sent an enormous surge of electricity into it's body, making it roar and squeal out in utter pain.

They all watched in shock, horror, and awe as the trap sent about 200 volts at 0.5 amperes of electricity into it's body. It was fried alive within seconds. It was dead right before it hit the ground, it's leg still caught in the trap. Sibella hurried over to the others, the Frankenteen starting to regather the trap and release the dead demon.

"Don't touch it," She warned. "The amount of electricity could kill you too," She'd say, looking over the body with everyone else.

"W-what the hell was that?" Tug panted, still visibly shaken.

"A demon," Velma replied simply. As she answered, the body was suddenly aflame, lighting into an enormous pyre. Everyone quickly backed away as they watched the body shrivel up and become nothing but a pile of ashes. After a few seconds of shocked silence, Velma hurried over to grab a sample. Sibella and Elsa made their way to Daphne and Tug, looking over his injuries a bit.

"How long have you been fighting against it?" Sibella asked curiously, seeing him covered in scrapes, cuts, and a few burns. "I figured you would be killed within seconds."

Tug rolled his eyes a bit, but felt too weak to make a come back. "The other Cadets were with me. I told them to run when it became obvious none of us could hold our own against it. I held off it's attacks long enough for them to retreat." He said, groaning in pain as he did his best to regain his balance. He was successful, though was still visibly struggling.

"How are the others?" Sibella asked.

"Better off than I am," The blond said, giving a mirthless laugh.

"Hey, at least it's dead," Daphne said, peering over to Velma. "...it  _is_  dead, right?"

"Yeah, it's dead," She replied, standing on her feet. "Come on, we should be heading back before another one shows up."

"Jeepers, do you really think there are more?!" Daphne asked. As she did, a loud, high pitched, albeit distorted, scream, echoed throughout the bog.

"Sounds like it. Let's hurry," Sibella stated, hurrying with everyone back through the trail they followed. Tug managed to keep up with the others, though just barely.

"I have to report this to Colonel Calloway! He has to know!" He'd exclaim, panting heavily.

"I just hope the others aren't having a hard time!" Velma yelled in return as the five made their way back towards the schools.

* * *

"Aw, really? A dead end and we haven't found  _anything_?" Exclaimed the annoyed voice of Fred Jones, looking around the small opening. All that was on the ground was a bunch of rocks, dead trees surrounding the area.

"Not necessarily, Fred," Responded the voice of the detective, his weird grin still plastered on his face. "You smell that sulfur, too right? Plus, we've been hearing roars and noises all over the place, haven't we? Something's close."

Freddie, rather than feel encouraged, merely shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms. "Maybe, but it'd be much better if we actually  _saw_  something."

"Can't argue there," The detective replied simply, watching as Phantasma floated around on her back in a casual.

"Hey, don't look so down! It's not every day we get a relaxing walk through the bog!" She giggled wildly.

"Oof... it would be relaxing, but... I don't feel well," Tanis groaned out, looking quite nauseated. She had no idea why that could be, though. Stress of what could come after them? The stress of what could  _happen_  to them?

Phanty floated her way to her bandaged friend, rubbing her shoulders gently. "Let's sit down for a bit, then, huh? We've been investigating for awhile," She suggested. Fred made his way over to the others, nodding.

"Yeah, might as well. That trail's a lot longer than I thought it would be," He stated, sitting down next to Tanis. The detective wordlessly sat across from Fred, while Phanty sat in midair, her legs crossed. After a few awkward seconds of silence, the detective pointed a finger to Fred, an eyebrow raised.

"So, if I may ask, how many times have y'all actually seen something that wasn't hoaxed? Prior to this case, of course," He'd ask casually.

At this, Fred rubbed the back of his head, thinking a bit. The question put him off, but found the question itself harmless. "Phew, uh... more often than I can remember, actually. We've come across quite a bit, actually."

"W-wow," Tanis said, looking to him. "With how often this happens, it almost makes me wonder how you all survive these encounters so regularly," She continued thoughtfully.

"Dumb luck," The blond answered with a shrug. Sometimes skill, but to be honest, it almost seems like a coincidence that everything happens to work out in the end," He continued on. With that, he'd return the question to the odd man sitting in front of him. "What about you?" He asked, making the detective raise an eyebrow. "You've mentioned having come across the supernatural before. Has there ever been a case where it  _was_  a hoax?"

With this, the detective thought for a few seconds. "Hm... that's a tough one. I haven't had the luxury of being pranked in that way since I was in high school," He joked, chuckling darkly. "I've had my fair share of run ins with stuff, though. Hell, I think my credibility's gone down  _because_  of it. No one believes the ramblin' weirdo who investigates murder scenes for fun."

"But you two are still alive, right?" Phantasma suddenly asked. The two humans looked her way, both raising an eyebrow to her. "I mean, despite your run ins with the dangerous and scary side of monsterkind, everyone always made it out alive," She restated, an optimistic grin on her face. "I mean, sure it's tough and probably scarring, but if you guys are still here to tell the tale, then I think we have a chance of dealing with whatever the heck is going on. If your track record is anything to go by, I'm fully confident in you guy's ability to figure it out!" The ghost prattled on, doing her best to encourage the others.

Strangely enough, it seemed to work. Tanis gave a nod and a brave look to her blue friend, while Freddie nodded with her. "Y'know, oddly enough, that makes a lot of sense. We  _can_  do this, can't we?"

"If we can't, than who else will?" The detective asked, his smile just as big as it ever was.

In that moment, the four heard the screeching wail of something in the forest, grabbing their attention. They all jumped up, looking in the direction towards the source. "Did you guys hear that?" Fred asked excitedly.

"Hard to miss it..!" Tanis piped up nervously. "Oooh, I wish we could know what was going on!"

Fred snapped his fingers, an idea forming in his head. "Got it! Phanty, go float up above the trees and see if you can find anything!" He'd say, pointing to the ghost.

With a salute, Phantasma nodded. "Yes sir!" She'd giggle before flying up above the trees. She'd cup her hands around her eyes, as if she were using binoculars. "Hmm..."

"See anything up there?" Tanis yelled up to her.

"Nooooo, nothin' but a bunch of dead trees..." She said, her tongue sticking out as she focused. "... _wooooah_  wait a second!" She gasped, sounding in awe of something.

"What? What is it?" Fred called to her.

"I just saw a big tower of fire! I mean a  _big_  tower of fire!" Phantasma said. "Wait, it just went out suddenly!"

"Tower of fire..?" Freddie said, rubbing his chin. "I hope that doesn't mean that demon's attacked anyone," He'd continue, gazing over to the other man. His face was smiling in an excited manner, though it did little to make him look less off-putting.

"I've read demons spontaneously combust when they die..! Someone must've managed to kill a demon!" He said excitedly.

"Woah, that's sooo cool!" Phanty giggled, floating back down to the group.

"Wait... does that mean..?" Freddie began, an excited look on his face as well. "The mystery has been solved?"

"I'd say so, right? No demons, no more attacks, lives are avenged, everyone's happy!" Phanty rambled eagerly, laughing along.

"I-I can't believe it!" Freddie laughed, clutching his head in disbelief. "Hey Tanis, did you- Tanis?" He'd say, turning his attention to the mummy, his voice now sounding concerned. The detective and Phanty also turned to look, wondering what was going on.

Tanis was standing completely still, looking down at the ground. None of the three could see her eyes, though they could see her fists, which were shaking very subtly. The three tried to get her attention, but little did they know, their voices were dying off into silence, going unheard from the mummy.

* * *

_..._

_...you can never rely on help these days, can you?_

_No matter._

_I have a more reliable solution anyways._

_My patience has paid off, finally._

_And now, my dear Tanis..._

_...my plan may fully begin._

_Go after the one with the book._

_You know the one._

_Let nothing stop the wrath of the mummy._

_Let that pent up rage from your past life make itself known._

_Let it run wild._

_Let it seek vengeance, and do what must be done._

_And kill._

_**Kill** _ _._

_**KILL** _ _._

* * *

The group of three wouldn't know what hit them. With a loud, ear piercing yell, the mummy lifted her hands up, head thrown back as she did so. A surge of strong, magical power sent the three flying, splitting them up and landing on the ground. While Fred and the Detective did their best to get back up on their feet, Phanty quickly floated back up, her face distraught and worried. "Tanny, what's gotten into you?!" She yelled out. She heard the scream from the mummy and knew right then and there that something was up. It did  _not_  sound like her at all.

Lifting up one hand, she'd point her palm to the detective who had managed to get back up on his feet. He was staring at the scene, obviously taken aback. His eyes were wide, but his smile still big. He must not have been able to help it. As she pointed to him, bandages would shoot out towards him, quickly wrapping themselves against him. They quickly wrapped around his torso and around his neck, squeezing tightly. He gagged and choked, visibly fighting back by trying to pull them off with his bare hands. She merely made more go after him, wrapping around his wrists to constrict him further.

Fred gasped at the sight, frozen in shock. Phanty was unsure of what to do as well, yelling out in utter fear. " _No_! Stop, you're gonna kill him!"

The voice that came from Tanis was a mixture of her own, and something else. It was unworldly and unnatural, the way it spoke. "Death is the way to gain information. His death will prove us well!" The detective's struggling was starting to weaken, his face turning purple as his wide eyes started to roll back.

Unable to just stand around, Fred had to act. His instincts told him to just charge the mummy, so that's what he did. Despite the fact that he made her stumble a bit, she was still proving to be much more sturdy than he initially though. This broke her concentration, so her bandages loosened around the detective's body. Unfortunately, this also caused her bandages to fling him against the tree, where he slammed against them. Hard. His body slumped down to the ground, face down. Unlike last time, there was no movement for him to get up on his feet.

Phanty shrieked out as she flew over to his body, trying her best to get him conscious. She was panicking quite a bit, unsure of what to do. Fred watched the scene for a little before turning his attention back to the mummy. As he tried to slam into the possessed Tanis once more, the bandages caught his wrist.

Tanis turned her attention to him, the bandages now snaking their way around him. "You will prove useful, as well. Join your friend in unholy death!" She yelled out, starting to squeeze and constrict Freddie as well. Despite the fact that the blonde proved to be much more hardy than the detective, he was still having trouble resisting. Not only that, but the bandages  _burned his skin_.

" _Gak_... Phanty...  _help_..!" Freddie choked out, still doing his best to fight back. The ghost in question gasped and looked up at her friend, who was squeezing the lift out of her  _other_  friend. She peered down to the unconscious body of the detective for a second, taking in a deep breath.

" _I'm sorry_ ," Was all she whispered to him before darting off towards Tanis. Thinking quickly, the ghost entered into Tanis's body, as if she were trying to posses her.

The first thing Phantasma felt was pain. It was as if she were trying to fly through a thick, thorny bramble patch. The atmosphere was nothing but pure hate and malice, which made it hard for her to keep going, let alone breathe, or even  _see_. She powered through it the best she could, however, seeing the floating, glowing body of Tanis. Her eyes were shut, but her whole body was surrounded with thorny, black vines. This apparition before Phanty represented her consciousness.

The ghost slowly reached out a hand towards her, grunting and struggling the whole way. "Let go of my friend, y-you big... bully!" She'd exclaim, touching her finger to the blue figure. A bright wave of light would overcome the whole place, blinding Phanty.

Fred watched as Tanis's eyes softened up, her grip immediately loosening around him, almost dropping him to the ground. He stumbled a bit, coughing quite a bit. "Guh..! Gah... Ta-tanis..!" He coughed, his voice strained from being strangled.

"F-f-fred..? Wh-what..?" She stammered, standing in disbelief. Phanty soon flew out of her body, panting heavily. "Phanty..?"

"Tanis..! Oh thank goodness! Something  _terrible_  happened!"

At this, her eyes widened in fear. "What?! I-I blacked out, and..!"

"Y-you were... p-possessed," Fred managed to say, being helped up by the ghost. "Whatever got in you... attacked us..!"

Tanis was shocked, gasping out. "I-I did? O-oh no! I-I-I didn't mean to..! I really didn't!" She stammered, on the verge of tears. Phanty hurried back over to the detective, gripping his arm and doing her best to stand him up.

"Hey, help me out here! I don't know if he's breathing!" She gasped out. Freddie and Tanis hurried over, quickly helping her out. Freddie held an arm over his shoulder while Phanty and Tanis kept his other side balanced. The detective looked almost like a corpse, his eyes shut and his mouth hung open. No teeth were missing, but blood was pouring out of his mouth. Freddie noticed that he had burn marks from the bandages as well.

"I don't know if he's gonna make it..!" Tanis cried out, looking up at his unconscious face.

"Don't say that, please!" Phanty yelled out, looking very distraught as she did her best to not break down.

"We better hurry..!" Fred gasped out. "Come on..!"

As they all hobbled their way back towards the school, Fred's mind gave him one single thought. There was  _no conceivable way_  that the others were having a harder time than they were.

* * *

Miss Grimwood stood outside of the school, Matches standing right by her side. Normally, these opportunities would be a welcoming moment of peace for the older woman. Knowing what was at stake right now, though, made her feel completely different. With how many noises she had heard echoing from the bog, the sudden silence made her feel uneasy. The dragon nudged her leg, doing his best to comfort his owner. Her hands clenched a bit, feeling more and more nervous with each passing second.

She let out a gasp, apparently holding in a breath, as she saw four figures come running towards the school. She immediately recognized Winnie, along with Googie, and her two coaches. "Oh, thank heavens..!" She'd gasp out, ushering them inside. "Quick quick, get in!"

Miss Grimwood and Matches followed the others in, looking at them. She left the door open for when the others came back. Miss Grimwood took one look at the werewolf and let out a worried gasp. "Oh, Winnie, dear, what happened!"

"Hah, don't worry about me, Miss G..! I feel just fine!" She'd say, giving a toothy smile. Regardless of this fact, she was seated in the couch, right next to her. Using a handkerchief that she had on hand, she quickly wiped away the dried blood in Winnie's fur as she looked to the group expectantly.

"Like, we saw it alright!" Shaggy began, panting heavily, since the three were out of breath.

"Ruge! Red! Bony!  _Scary_!" Scooby rambled on.

"We somehow outsmarted it," Googie finished, leaning against her knees. "Winnie managed to fight it off for a bit before we ran."

"Then that sucker fell right in the quick sand!" Winnie laughed, pumping a fist in the air. Miss Grimwood let out a huff, smiling to them a bit.

"Well, that's well and good, but what else? I could hear so much chaos coming from everywhere..!"

"Like, we're not sure," Shaggy answered. "We're pretty sure that, like, came from the other parts of the bog. We didn't have any other run-ins after that."

They wouldn't have to wait long before Sibella, Daphne, Velma, and Elsa ran inside of the school, greeted by hugs from the others.

"You guys made it too!" Googie laughed in relief.

"Was there any any doubt," Sibella replied, a small smile on her face as she stood near Winnie, who was grinning ear to ear.

"I  _knew_  you guys could handle it too!" She guffawed.

"Oh yeah..!" Velma began. "It was a bit rough, but I got a good description of it. Not to mention..." She held up a bag of ashes, a big excited grin on her face.

"Like, the trap worked?!" Shaggy said, looking over the ashes.

"Oh boy, did it," Elsa said proudly. "Like a bug caught in a zapper."

"We're also lucky that it was the only thing to have died. Even that one student from the military school made it out okay," Daphne said, Miss Grimwood looking in her direction.

"One of the Colonel's students got caught up in it?!" She said in amazement.

"He held his own, for sure," Sibella answered. "He and the others are warning him about it as well."

"I'd better have a talk with him, once everyone's back..." Miss Grimwood said.

"Hey yeah... Freddie's not back yet?" Daphne asked, looking around.

"Nope. Haven't seen Phanty or Tanis yet, either," Winnie replied, scratching her ear.

"Like, didn't the detective go with them too?" Shaggy asked.

"I think so..." Googie added in a somewhat worried tone.

They all waited for quite awhile, everyone starting to get a bit antsy. At one point, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby had taken to keeping an eye out for the last team. After what seemed like a long time, Scooby pointed out to a group, hurriedly moving towards the school. "Look, look!" He'd bark out.

"Like, it's them!" Shaggy exclaimed. This got everyone's attention, though Daphne's expression turned from excited to worried.

"...something's not right. Shaggy, follow me," She'd say, running out towards them. Shaggy nodded and ran after her. The two gasped out upon seeing the sighted of a badly beaten Freddie, carrying an unconscious, just as badly beaten, detective, along with a sniffling mummy, whose bandages were stained with tears, and a ghost girl who looked like she was about to have an emotional breakdown.

"Freddie!" Daphne gasped out, the two hurrying to their side. "What on Earth happened?!"

"No time..!" He gasped out. "Hurry... help us get him inside..!" He managed to choke, his voice still sounding somewhat strained. Soon, they also helped lead him indoors, everyone clamoring and gasping at the sight.

"Oh no..." Sibella gasped, a hand over her mouth in shock.

"What's going on, what happened?!" Winnie said, watching as Miss Grimwood hurried over to them all.

"Oh dear... Elsa, dear, please help the detective upstairs into a bed. He'll need treatment, ASAP!" She said. The Frankenteen didn't hesitate to gently lift up the unconscious man bridal style, walking up the steps into the bathroom. Phanty didn't know whether to follow or stay behind, floating around in the air, as if she were pacing. Her fingers felt through her hair in a manic manner.

Daphne hurried and sat Fred into a seat, looking over his injuries as well. "Freddie, how did this happen? You're hurt!" She gasped out, looking over his skin.

"I'll be... okay," He coughed up, trying to wave away her worries. "Just need some water and air is all..."

"Was it another demon?!" Googie gulped, holding onto a chair to stay balanced.

A loud sob grabbed everyone's attention. They looked to Tanis, who was now openly crying. "It... it was me..! I did this!" She admitted in between sobs, everyone looking quite surprised, looking between each other.

"Tanis... you?" Miss Grimwood started softly, looking taken aback.

"Something made me lose control and I attacked everyone!" She gasped out. "I injured Freddie badly and... and  _killed the detective_!" Tanis wailed, clinging to Shaggy's waist and burying her face into his stomach, muffling her sobs.

Everyone looked to each other, talking to each other as the tall, lanky coach gently hugged her back, gently petting her head to help comfort her.

"Is he really..?" Velma began, a hand to her forehead in disbelief.

"We don't know for sure, do we?" Sibella replied.

"Haha, y-yeah..! We don't know!" Phanty giggled nervously. "H-he could be just fine! Just p- _peachy keen_! Haha ha  _ha ha_..!" Her hair was quite messed up and frazzled now, her eyes darting back in forth in a scared manner.

"H-he was breathing...just barely," Fred managed to respond. "B-but just barely. I don't know if he'd..." He trailed off, not finding the courage within himself to finish that sentence.

Phanty glanced up the stairs in a scared manner, fidgeting like crazy now. "No no no  _no_..." She whispered to herself.

No one could say anything at this point. All they could do was wait for Elsa to return. The only noise that could be heard was Tanis whimpering into Shaggy's body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you just love cliffhangers? I do!
> 
> At any rate, I thank all of you for being patient with me. Comments, critiques, reviews, favorites, PM's, they're all welcome! It really helps my writing process to learn that others actually enjoy what I put out. Despite how long this took, I do have other stuff to write on, plus real life. It may be awhile before the next chapter of this story comes out, so bear with me some more guys! How much longer until the end? Who knows!
> 
> You all know the deal: let me know what you think of this chapter, and the story and general, and I thank you all so so much for reading!


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